


Don't throw this dog a bone

by justmeandmysillystuff



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Failed Date, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, happy ending I promise, restaurant, some kind of weird AU im not sure what this is, viktor being a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-03 01:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11521365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justmeandmysillystuff/pseuds/justmeandmysillystuff
Summary: Yuuri's going through some hard times. Phichit convinces him of asking his co-worker out on a date and he's very excited about it, feeling it's the first good thing that happens to him in such a long while. But sometimes things don't go out as planned.As Yuuri waits at the outside tables of the restaurant, there aren't many people around. Just some few elderly couples, a group of friends, and a handsome blue-eyed man, with a cute poodle by his feet.





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri let the waiter guide him through the restaurant, taking in the fancy decorations and marveling at every small detail. He didn't even bother to consider the tables inside, since it was a beautiful Friday night and they were right next to the shore. So he timidly pointed at a little table for two outside on the patio, surrounded by the hum of the river and people's light chattering.

 

He hanged his coat on the backrest and sat down, telling the waiter he was waiting for someone else when he was offered to see the menu, and thanking him for his gentleness as he watched him leave to attend other tables.

 

Taking a look at his watch, he made sure he had arrived on time. In fact, he had arrived a bit early. His nerves and his excitement were to blame, to be honest. It had been ages since he had had a proper date, and no matter how many times he reached to loosen the knot on his tie, it would still feel way too tight.

 

The waiter came back to leave a little basket with bread and butter in front of him. Should he take a bite? No he shouldn't, he was on a diet. The candle seemed to be too close to the basket, so he moved in just in case. In reality, he just needed to move his hands and release some tension. He sighed, drumming his fingers on the table, and taking in the sight of the busy restaurant as a distraction.

 

The place looked fairly expensive, elegant, and for a moment he wondered if he had enough money to pay. He had made sure to grab more than usual just in case it was too fancy, but he hadn't count on the fairy lights, the wonderful view of the river and the refined crockery staring holes into his wallet.

 

He felt a drop of sweat running down his forehead, and he slyly took a napkin to wipe it as he stared at his reflection on the window next to him. His hair was still on point, slicked back with gel, but he fixed it a little more obsessively. That lilac shirt looked good on him, at least that's what Phichit had said when he pushed him out of the apartment that night. "You look great!" he had reassured him, with quite a hard pat on the back "You'll leave him breathless!". Yuuri doubted he would give his date an asthma attack, but he really wanted to cause a good impression.

 

After all, the man had never seen him outside the office, outside his overly-stressed, sweaty persona, with that dull working outfit and the glasses. This was his chance, the chance to prove him he had a life outside the paperwork and his desk.

 

Maybe, it was also the time to prove it to himself, too.

 

Just when he was about to take a culprit hand to the bread basket, he felt something touching his feet and turned to see a brown dog sniffing his shoes. He smiled, wanting to pet the curly head, but a loud whistle coming from another table interrupted them.

 

"Makka, come here" the poodle immediately responded to the call, walking towards a table where a young man sat alone "Don't bother other people"

 

Yuuri wanted to say that it was ok, that he really liked dogs, but then he realized he didn't want his date to arrive and find him all covered in fur.

 

The man stared at him funnily, arching a brow, and Yuuri looked away. There weren't many people around, just a group of girls that seemed to be celebrating a birthday, some elderly couples, and the man with the dog. Of course there weren't families with kids, it wasn't a family restaurant. And the place was way too quiet for someone who ate constantly at McDonalds.

 

He checked the time again, his feet beginning to tap involuntarily as he saw it was nine o'clock already. His date should be about to arrive.

 

He was happy, very hopeful about that night. Not only because he had been drooling over his co-worker for months already, but also because it had been ages since the last time he had been out of his house for some reason other than his job. If he wasn't in the office, he was at home, studying. Phichit insisted it wasn't healthy, and that he was going to start putting on weight again if he didn't move. But he wasn't eating much, either. He wasn't really hungry when he came back from work, and the only lunches he had were the ones in the lies he told Phichit.

 

He didn't like lying to him, he was his best friend, not to say the only one, and he was worried about him. But he already had enough with his complaints about his social life to add even more drama about his lack of appetite, and he didn't want him to worry. Phichit had a life of his own, after all. And he had to take care of it.

 

As he watched the group of friends singing happy birthday on a distant table, he couldn't help but remember his parents' gift when he turned twenty.

 

He and Phichit had been considering leaving their small, humble town in the search for better opportunities, but paying for the stay in a larger city until he got a proper job in there was a huge amount of money. And his parents had surprised him by saving and gifting him every penny to their name, and he was finally able to move out.

 

He smiled, remembering the moment, staring at one of the elderly couples at the distant tables.

 

He missed his parents. And his sister. And his dog. He missed his family like crazy. As well as his hometown, the people he used to know, the streets he used to walk… From one day to another, he was suddenly miles away and all he had been able to take with him was his best friend. Which he was extremely thankful for, since Phichit was his anchor to sanity.

 

But still, he hadn't been ready to give his back to the life he had been so used to. And, unlike Phichit, he wasn't very good at dealing with changes.

 

“Sir, do you want to see the menu yet?”

 

“Oh, no, sorry. I’ll wait a little longer”

 

“Alright, sir”

 

He took a hand to the basket, taking a small piece of bread. Just a little wouldn’t do any harm. The waiter turned to take the order of the man with the dog, and Yuuri tried to read his lips out of mere boredom but he had never been good at it. What he did read, though, was the title of the novel between his hands. _Stoner_ , by John Williams, it read. He didn’t know the book, but he found himself wondering what it was about.

 

He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and he almost jumps off his chair. With rapid, desperate fingers he checked his notifications, but he turned off the screen and left it aside on the table as he saw it was just Phichit. He breathed in, trying to soothe his ridiculous nerves, and sitting down properly and elegantly against the backrest.

 

His friend just probably wanted to check on him, to know if he was having a good time. Mainly because he cared, but also because he was unhealthily nosy. It had been him who convinced him of asking his co-worker out on a date, after all. Being as shy as he was, all he used to do was rant to his floormate about this really kind, handsome man who worked in the stall next to his own.

 

He took another piece of bread, this time, a bit larger. He couldn’t help it, he was getting hungry. And nerves had always been quite a big enemy for his diet. The dog from the other table stared at the food in his hands, and he would have shared him some, but it was not his dog, and that would have been impolite. The owner continued reading his novel, drinking some wine he hadn’t even noticed when it arrived, seeming fairly concentrated. He looked up for a second to check on his pet, but his eyes caught Yuuri’s as he did and he smiled politely, whistling again to call his dog back towards his side.

 

Yuuri couldn’t quite stop staring at the poodle, mainly since it kind of reminded him to his own pet back at home. Just like the money for him to move out, it had been a birthday present. Only that that had been many years ago, back when he was still a child.

 

And, unlike moving out, he had never regretted Vicchan.

 

He looked at his phone, wanting to check if there were any messages from his date as regards his delay. He knew he had put the device on vibrate and that he should have felt it buzz if that were the case, yet he couldn’t help but checking just in case. The digital clock marked it was already  twenty past nine, and the only notification he had was that message from Phichit from a while ago.

 

The man of the nice dog was getting his food served, some meat and a colorful salad, for what Yuuri could see. That made him even hungrier, so he reached for another piece of bread. This time, he even put some butter onto it. The waiter approached him once again, and Yuuri repeated his speech lawfully.

 

Should he text his date? He thought he should maybe wait a while longer, but people in the tables nearby were beginning to look at him funnily. Including the man of the dog who didn’t look that concentrated in his novel anymore.

 

He opted for a discreet _“I’m on a table outside, look for me there”_ text, so that he didn’t feel like was hurrying him or anything. He didn’t want to be annoying, but he had already emptied half of the bread basket.

 

Having nothing else to do, he chose to read Phichit’s message. It was a simple “Good luck” with many thumbs ups and heart emojis, but Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to smile at the sight. Instead, he set his eyes on the door. Just like he did at the office every day when he arrived early, waiting for the man to come in.

 

His watch marked five to ten when the waiter approached him once again, and Yuuri simply shook his head this time and he understood.

 

The man of the dog had already finished his meal, and he had given the left outs to his dog. The poodle was happily chewing on a bone, way too distracted to become a distraction, and Yuuri didn’t know what to do anymore.

 

He looked at his watch again, as if he hadn't checked the time just one minute ago, and he couldn't read the numbers. His pulse was trembling. Had he got bad the time of the meeting? The address? Paranoia made its way crawling down his skin, drawing goosebumps, making his spit taste acid. Suddenly, everyone around looked just like _him_. The elderly couples, the waiters, the people passing by the shore. Everyone was so frustratingly similar. Being the eyes, the smile, that _something_...they all looked alike, and they all got his heart to race.

 

He tried to chew on a piece of bread, just to do something with all the energy, the radiation of nerves, his anticipation breaking like atoms and overwhelming him with adrenaline.

 

He felt every eye in the room was on him, observing, making assumptions. Assumptions he had already made, but he yet had to acknowledge. The whispers made it even worse, from the girls of the birthday and the man with the dog, pitying him, not understanding the situation at all. No, they didn't understand. They didn't know his date would arrive at any second. He was just late. That was all.

 

He swallowed and fished for his phone again. This time, he called. He was going to prove them, prove himself, that the plan was still on march. That the candle on the table still had some few minutes of light, and he still had faith. On him, and on himself.

 

The phone rung, and rung, and rung. Yuuri's heart was beating to its beat. Slow, long and infuriating. Suspenseful, dragging the curse of every note, making it eternal.

 

_"Leave your message after the tone…”_

 

"Uhm, hi. It's me, Yuuri. I...I've been waiting for about an hour and...yeah. Sorry to bother, I just..." Come, please. He wanted to say. _People are staring at me, I'm running out of bread, and just like the candle of the centerpiece, the waiter's patience is melting_ "Could you..."

 

He cut the message, embarrassed, dropping the phone in his pocket and resting his head in his palm. He sounded pathetic, and he didn't want the guy’s pity. It was already enough with the restaurant's, the man of the dog looking at him like he may throw him a leftover bone.

 

He thought about Phichit, about how excited he had been when he told him about the date. He thought about the day, how excited he had been, how he had planned what clothes to wear and what perfume to use, pouring all his hopes into the night. And he thought about his parents, the only request they had made when they saw him leave: _"no matter what you do, please be happy"_

 

There were tickles in his stomach, crumbles, of bread and badly digested disillusion. He had to cover his face when he started crying, but his shoulders were shaking, and he knew the people around him could see him. He sunk his face, feeling the factual burn of his throat as he tried to keep himself from sobbing. But the tears just wouldn’t stop falling and his lungs demanded him air, causing him to whimper, and drawing even more eyes on him.

 

He was embarrassed, so embarrassed, so tired of fucking everything up, his every hope going to hell after he kept failing and failing, always making a fool of himself. He must have looked so stupid, all dressed up and nervous and smiling, with that damn lilac shirt he had spent hours choosing. For what? For being stood up? For being mortified and made fun of?

 

He didn’t want to go back to his apartment. No when he knew Phichit would be there, still so hype and happy, as oblivious as Yuuri himself had been. He didn’t want to pop his bubble, not just yet. He would let him enjoy it a little longer.

 

The waiter didn’t even approach him again to leave the menu, and Yuuri continued to sob, silent and alone, hoping he would run out of tears.

 

“Uhm, excuse me” He peeked his face from behind his hand, covering his nose, knowing it was runny “Are you ok?”

 

The man of the dog looked at him from his own table, novel closed and eyes full of pity, speaking with the gentleness one would talk to a child.

 

“Do I look like I’m ok?”

 

He knew he was being rude, but he was in no mood to deal with other’s sorry. He already felt too sorry for himself.

 

“Do you need something to drink? Do you want some wine?”

 

Yuuri looked up, wanting to deny the offer. But as he tried to voice a no, he felt the rests of bread still stuffed in his throat.

 

He nodded, since he knew he needed a drink to push it down, and help him digest the anguish still clogging his chest. The man of the dog poured the remaining beverage into his glass and set it on his own table, pushing the chair across him slightly with his foot, as if telling him to sit down.

 

As Yuuri stood up he noticed the rest of the customers had already left, much to his relief, and for a second he wondered what time it was but he didn’t want to stare at his watch. Instead, he sat in front of the only remaining witness for his misery, and gulped down half cup of wine in one blow.

 

“Easy there, you don’t want to choke” The man smiled at him. Forcedly, Yuuri could tell “Are you ok with that? Do you want me to order some water?”

 

He shook his head, looking away. The dog came to him wiggling his tail happily, so oblivious to the happenings, and rested its head on top of his lap. He petted him, gently, and his fur was just as soft as he had imagined. As he remembered Vicchan’s was.

 

"Look, about what happened...” Yuuri  flinched at the words. As if he had been physically intruded. “I don't know who you were waiting for, but...I’m sure they have a good reason"

 

"He didn't answer my phone calls" He sobbed "I think his reason is clear enough, he's not interested"

 

"Was it a date?" the man asked, and Yuuri nodded grumpily, as if it were obvious "Don't worry, dates come and go! You deserve someone better, there's no need to be sad for just a..."

 

"It's not just the damn date" Yuuri cried, grabbing his head with frustration. He hadn't meant to sound ungrateful, and he only noticed he did so when he saw the surprise on the other's face "I’m sorry, I just…everything's been hell for me lately. It's been a bad year"

 

The man quieted, looking downwards for a second, realizing he had maybe pressed too far. Yuuri rubbed his eyes, still sore and swollen, and took a deep breath in the hope of easing the post-crying headache. He felt so weak, so feeble, like the minimum weight could wreck him down. And he knew it showed, he knew he must have looked so childish and pathetic right then, petting his dog and crying his eyes out, softer than he had ever been.

 

“It’s ok, we all have bad times. It’s normal to be sad” The man said, face solemn and serious, eyes still soft with sorry “What’s your name?”

 

Yuuri looked up and sniffed, clearing his voice a bit before he trusted himself to speak again.

 

“Yuuri”

 

“I’m Viktor” He introduced himself, then he pointed at the poodle “And that’s Makkachin”

 

“It’s a really nice dog”

 

“Isn’t he?” He smiled, trying to pick up Yuuri’s stare with his own “He seems to like you”

 

That wasn’t big news. Unlike people, dogs always seemed to really like Yuuri. And Yuuri liked them a lot, too.

 

“I guess he does” He sighed, trying to clean the stuffed air inside his mind and clear his thoughts. Makkachin had been a good cable to guide him back to his senses, but he needed to acknowledge the kindness of his owner, the actual human  who had put up with his pitiful crying, and who had friendly offered his help “I…I’m…” He tried, only then remembering that humans were not dogs and that they could look so cute all of a sudden when they listened to him and smiled “thank you…for the wine”

 

“It’s ok, I think it wouldn’t have been a good idea to empty the bottle myself, anyways” He said, and he seemed so amused by the way Yuuri snorted in response “Plus, I think that you needed it more”

 

The short laugh seemed to lose up his soul a little, making his chest feel lax and lighter, like stretching a cramped muscle.

 

“Ugh, you must think I’m so wretched” He said, more humorous than expected, as he tried to rub the rests of grief out from his face.

 

“Hey, at least you had a date. You are talking with the man who was eating at a fancy restaurant alone on a Friday night”

 

“Uhm, rude. Makkachin was here the whole time”

 

Viktor laughed, and Yuuri felt the sound echo through himself, bubbly and tickly, uplifting.

 

“You get the point” He said, leaning forwards and crossing his arms on the table “We are both lonesome”

 

“Yeah…” Yuuri averted his eyes, mirth washing off all of a sudden, as he stared back at his coat still hanging from the other chair “I don’t want to bother you though, thank you very much for your kindness and everything, but I think I should…”

 

“No no, stay!” Before he could fully stand up Viktor stopped him, grinning gently; hiding what had sounded like a plea “You are not a bother at all, please. At least finish your wine”

 

The truth was Yuuri didn’t want to leave, either. He still didn’t feel ready to face Phichit and tell him the story, and he didn’t feel ready to face his apartment, the scattered clothes in his room and the mess in the bathroom, that had watched him leave so happily just some hours ago. But he didn’t want to abuse from that man’s compassion, either. Maybe he just wanted to spend a relaxing evening alone with some wine, a good book and his dog. Comforting a crying basket case surely wasn’t part of his Friday night’s agenda.

 

Yet, as he began to drink from his glass once again, it was in slow, tiny sips.

 

“Are you feeling better?” Viktor asked, just before the silence began to feel uncomfortable.

 

Yuuri hummed in agreement, licking his lips reddened by wine.

 

“I’m not exactly delighted” He grimaced, moving his head to the side “But I think I’m ok…maybe I need some vacation, go back to my hometown for a while”

 

“Oh? Where are you from?”

 

“Hasetsu”

 

“Oh! What a surprise…so you are not a city boy, then” Viktor said, arching Yuuri’s brow in confusion “I should have thought so”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well…everyone here seems to be in such a hurry all the time, so worried with work and so full of themselves. You seem like a humble guy, tranquil and good-heartened”

 

Yuuri blinked, unsure of what to say. To be honest, that was actually the reason he felt he didn’t fit in the city, at all.

 

“Don’t you think you are making many assumptions?” He mocked, just to avoid the intrusion of having been read so thoroughly “I could be a meanie for all you know”

 

Viktor chuckled, lidding his eyes.

 

“Nah, the smile gives you away. You are a good person” He said, resting his chin on his palm “Besides, wat kind of douche uses the word meanie, anyways?” 

 

Yuuri pouted, hiding a grin and looking away, distracting himself with Makkachin again.

 

“What about you?” He asked “Were you born here?”

 

“Born and raised”

 

“So you are a city boy, then?” He teased, stealing his words from before and using them against him. All that crying had gotten him a little light-headed, and words slipped easily from lips moistened by alcohol.

 

Viktor seemed shocked by the question, like it had taken him by surprise.

 

“A really unpleased one, yes” He said, and now it was Yuuri’s turn to be surprised “You see, the thing about city boys is that we don’t like being city boys. We like to think we are oh so special and different for hating the city, but hating the city may or may not be a part of being a city boy”

 

Yuuri outlined a furrowed, puzzled smile.

 

“Are you being poetic or delirious?”

 

“We are very poetic, you see” He smirked, playing with him, and with a stain of wine that had spilled on the table “We are birds in steel cages”

 

Yuuri chuckled, wetting his lips on the glass, not wanting to empty it.

 

“You don’t sound like a city boy” He said “My friend Phichit, my roommate, he loves it here. He moves around so easily…that’s a true city boy”

 

“Was he born here?”

 

“Oh, no. He came with me all the way from Hasetsu. We kept saying we would move to the city together ever since we were kids…but I guess he got luckier than me. He got used to it so quickly.”

 

He could feel his mood beginning to deflate again, but he wasn’t even disappointed. His humor was balancing on a tightrope as thin floss, and he was abusing from his luck.

 

“Did you come here for a job?”

 

“To study, actually” He shrugged “But I need to pay rent so I got a job at an office. No important task, I just check for mistakes in some documents before they are delivered”

 

“Oh, I see. And what do you study?”

 

“Language arts” He said, and the other looked fairly intrigued about it. But just when he was about to return the question, the waiter walked right beside them, and Viktor stopped him before he left into the restaurant again.

 

“Would you like to ask for the bill, sir?” He looked at them suspiciously, narrowing his eyes, not really sure of what was going on or why they were sitting together.

 

“It depends…Yuuri, would you like to order something?”

 

Yuuri froze, unready for the offer. So before the lack of words, he instinctively made time to gather his thoughts with the stupidest of questions.

 

“Me?”

 

Viktor laughed.

 

“Yes, you. All you ate was bread…wouldn’t you like some dessert? I pay”

 

“Oh, no…you don’t have to! I couldn’t…”

 

“Nonsense” He turned to the waiter “Bring us some chocolate ice cream, please”

 

“What? No! It’s not necessary! Don’t…”

 

The waiter stood still, unamused, probably thinking they didn’t pay him enough for this.

 

“Aww, come on! Ice cream is good for heartache!”

 

“Ok…but we’ll split the bill!” Yuuri insisted, looking at the waiter apologetically.

 

“Deal”

 

“We don’t serve ice cream” The waiter announced.

 

“For real??” Viktor said, looking genuinely disillusioned “Well…bring my bill then, please”

 

“Alright sir”

 

The man left, clearly annoyed, and Yuuri sulked childishly, drumming his fingers on the table and looking at the other with puppy dog eyes.

 

“So…no ice cream?” He joked, smiling cheekily.

 

“Well…we could have some ice cream…” Viktor trailed off, leaning forwards and way too close “If you would like to go on a date with me, someday”

 

Yuuri deadpanned, his humorous mood smashing into pieces and reveling a much colder expression instead.

 

“On a date?” He almost bit his tongue, remembering his co-working saying the same thing as he asked him out that same morning.

 

“Yeah! We could grab some ice cream together one of these days, I know a really great ice cream shop that has the craziest flavors.  I could take you”

 

Yet, Yuuri wasn’t convinced. He tried to pet Makkachin, to relieve his tension through his fur, but the dog was soundly asleep at his feet already, away from his reach.  Away from his reach…just like his owner.

 

“Don’t…” He tried to say, gritting his teeth, feeling anguish coming back to bite him right in the pit of his stomach “Don’t ask me on a date out of pity, please”

 

Viktor blinked in surprise, opening his mouth so say something but closing it immediately after, and Yuuri sucked his lips inwards in shame. He didn’t want to sound rude or anything, but he was not in the mood for another disenchantment.

 

However, as he stood up and his gaze fell to the ground, there was suddenly a strong hand stroking his arm, grabbing him in place.

 

“Pity??” Viktor said, forcing their eyes together “The only pity I feel is for the guy who lost the chance to date you”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FUCKIN CHIHOKO DUDE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is so unworthy of the first chapter, I'm so sorry....  
> AND I KNOWWWWW CHIHOKO IS A GIRLS NAME, BUT I SAW THE CHANCE AND I TOOK IT YO, IT WAS WAY TOO FUNNY TO LET IT SLIDE MY DUDES....lets just assume it's his surname? pretty please? Don't throw tomatos at me

“Wait, wait, wait, hold the fuck up!” Phichit grabbed his head, taking in a mouthful of air and another one of gin, being the only way to keep his thoughts somewhat clear “So you are telling me that son of a bitch stood you up??”

 

“Yeah, but that’s not the point! The point is…”

 

“How can it not be the point, Yuuri?? Your eyes are all swollen! You’ve been crying, I know you!” He took his phone out of his pocket with rushed, furious fingers, so angry and tipsy he couldn’t quite press the buttons “I’m so prank calling this bitch!”

 

“Phichit, no!” Yuuri took the devise away from his hands, as well as the gin, since he had apparently drank enough already “We talked about this! No more prank calls!”

 

“But Yuuri! How dare he?? I won’t permit this!” Phichit sat back down on the kitchen chair, rubbing the stress out from his face “You don’t deserve being treated like this…please, Yuuri, don’t let people be mean to you and get away with it”

 

Yuuri sighed, pouring two glasses of fresh milk and sitting across his friend at the table. While he was gone on his date, Phichit had invited some friends over and they had been drinking a bit, and he knew his alcohol tolerance wasn’t exactly high. He would have preferred to have that conversation at their room, comfortable and sober, but he came home to find his roommate had been waiting for him to come back, worried sick.

 

“I won’t, believe me” He said, pressing one of the glasses onto the other’s arm, telling him to drink “But you need to hear me out, there was a man on the restaurant that-”

 

“I don’t care what his excuse is, if he says sorry and asks you out again, you tell him to fuck off”

 

“Yeah, I know. But listen, I met-”

 

“Yuuri, promise me you’ll tell him to fuck off”

 

One would think that was an obvious conclusion, but knowing Yuuri, Phichit was right to warn him. Yuuri probably still thought that it was all his fault, that he had flown too close to the sun, and that it was only natural for him to fall. In his head, it was way too ambitious to ask that man out on the first place. The answer to his sorry, could even be a thank you.

 

“I promise, Phichit, I don’t even want to talk to him. But hear me out, you won’t guess what happened after…” He felt him stroke his forearm from across the table “Phichit?”

 

“Was it a bad idea for us to come here? Am I being selfish?” His friend asked, voice shattered “Are you happy, Yuuri?”

 

They both stayed hushed, and silence became noisy. He could hear the cars outside as if they weren’t on a tenth floor, the refrigerator’s engine seemed to sound louder, and he swore he could listen to the living room’s clock ticking. He didn’t want to make Phichit upset, he really hadn’t thought he would be so concerned about it, and now he felt fairly responsible.

 

“It’s been a tough year, I’m not gonna lie. But I’m ok, Phichit. I’m fine” He felt his fingers tightening on the flesh of his arms, and saw his gaze drifting somewhere else across the room “I’ll get used to this, I’m just a bit homesick, that’s all. I was the one who wanted to come here on the first place…”

 

Phichit sighed, letting go of his arm and resting the weight of his tired head on his arm, closing his eyes.

 

“I feel like such a bad friend though, god, I was here having fun while you cried your eyes out at a restaurant”

 

Yuuri couldn’t help the little grin twisting his lips, as he took his finger to flicker his friend’s forehead and force him to look at him.

 

“Hey, don’t be dramatic, it’s not your fault” He said, leaning forwards onto the table, almost dropping his glass of milk “But you know what? Not everything about my date was exactly bad…”

 

Phichit glanced upwards, furrowing his brow in confusion, looking at his smile as if it were misplaced.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well…”  He snorted, lowering his voice, as if there were someone else to hear him in the kitchen “I met someone”

 

Phichit blinked, his thoughts way too soaked in alcohol and grief to catch the meaning of those words.

 

“What??”

 

“I met someone” Yuuri repeated his words, blushing, scratching his own cheek as an inefficient distraction “Like, a guy…who kind of asked me out…”

 

“WHAT??” The milk waved in the glass as the table was violently hit “YUURI THIS IS IMPORTANT, WHAT THE HELL, WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME BEFORE??”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes, biting his lip.

 

“Well, you wouldn’t let me”

 

“Holy shit!! What happened?? Where did he come from?? I’m so confused right now… EXPLAIN!!!”

 

“To be honest I don’t even know…I was just sitting there being all ugly and miserable and he offered me some wine. And at first I didn’t pay attention because I was feeling so bad, but he was really kind, and he had a poodle named Makkachin that was so cute and…”

 

“How was he??”

 

“Hmm, brown and curly, kind of big, and with lovely floppy ears that…”

 

“Not the dog, stupid!! The guy!!” He shouted “Was he hot??”

 

Yuuri’s face turned an impish pink as he nodded.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“On a scale of one to ten??”

 

“Like, thirteen”

 

“Oh my god” Phichit jumped on his chair, hitting the table repeatedly like a fluttering hummingbird “Do you realize just how great this is?? Do you remember all the times you told me you weren’t attractive enough to have dates?? You dramatic bastard!! I told you so!!”

 

“I wouldn’t make such a scandal” Yuuri shrugged awkwardly “I don’t think he’ll ask me out again, I mean, it was probably just to cheer me up”

 

“You can’t be serious right now”

 

“It’s logical, I mean, there’s no way someone as nice as him would want to…”

 

“Ugh, shut up!” Phichit covered his ears “I don’t want to hear you being this petty! For fuck’s sake, Yuuri! Allow yourself to be happy for once!”

 

“I’m just being realistic” He said, unenthusiastic “He looks like the type of guy who gets dates daily, it’s almost a procedure for him”

 

“Oh, Yuuri” His friend gave up, resting his head on the table “Why are you like this?”

 

Yuuri pouted, looking away, not really sure of what to say on his defense.

 

“I just don’t want to get all hype and get disillusioned…again”

Phichit exhaled noisily, grabbing his shoulder, stroking it comfortingly.

 

"I'm sure he likes you, you are great" He said "I mean, if I were into guys I'd totally date you"

 

Yuuri chuckled, pushing his hand away, looking at him with sincere affection.

 

"Thanks, I guess" He grinned "You are great, too"

 

Phichit returned the smile.

 

"Now, I want to know everything about him!" he clapped, changing the mood almost as if it were a magic trick "Tell me, tell me! I won't let you date any fuckboys! Was he a gentleman to you?"

 

"Phicht!" Yuuri laughed, hiding his face in shame "No, he’s not a fuckboy, he looked really smart and polite...but he was also funny and kind of childish..."

 

"Hmm, I see...his name?"

 

"Viktor"

 

"Age?"

 

"I'm not sure...he seemed to be around 24, maybe 25"

 

"Oh! So he's older! I like it, I like it...and what about...?"

 

"What? Do you want his blood type and ID number as well?" He teased, smirking.

 

"That's not necessary, but maybe his physical appearance, yes"

 

"Hmm, well..." Yuuri recalled, trying not to let his own memory overwhelm him "he had silver hair and light blue eyes, and he was fit, and tall...and his voice was so..." He did a gesture with his hands, biting his lip and curling his fingers, unable to describe it.

 

"Deep?"

 

" _Sensual_ "

 

"Oh my god" Phichit covered his mouth, snorting onto his hand "You like him, don't you?"

 

Yuuri furrowed his mouth, not quite a grimace but also not a smile, uncertain of what to say.

 

"I'm not sure..." He grabbed his head, exhausted of thinking "This is all happening so fast...Chihoko is still in my mind, so much stuff went on tonight I still haven't had time to digest it..."

 

Phichit hummed in agreement, drumming his fingers on the table.

 

"When are you seeing Viktor again?"

 

"We'll grab some ice cream on Sunday. He wanted to go tomorrow but I told him I had to study"

 

"You are such a loser" he facepalmed.

 

"Hey! I don't want to fail that literature class!!" Yuuri crossed his arms "I'm not giving up my responsibilities for a date that will probably go wrong anyways"

 

"A loser, and an idiot"

 

"And you are a meanie" Yuuri pouted.

 

"Well, no matter what happens on Sunday, for now we have a motive to celebrate" His friend insisted, holding his glass of milk up high "Cheers, for your date 2.0, the hotter version"

 

They giggled, clashing glasses, forgetting about work and troublesome dates for a while.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“So…how does the city boy make a living?”

 

Yuuri took a spoonful of ice cream, getting onto the curb, balancing on the border as they walked by the riverside.

 

Viktor seemed amused by the question, but even more amused by his feet and their every movement, the way he gracefully kept himself stable.

 

“Oh, you don’t want to hear about that”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It’s boring, and I have a first good impression to give” He said humorously “I want you to think I cool for a bit longer”

 

Yuuri chuckled, taking his eyes out from his way for a moment to look at him playfully.

 

“No cool person orders simple lemon ice cream at such a huge store” He mocked, pointing at his cone “There were so many flavors to pick!”

 

“I feel judged” Viktor gasped dramatically “What did _you_ order, you daredevil?”

 

“Marshmallow chocolate and sprinkled Nutella”

 

“Woah, intense”

 

“Don’t avoid my question though” Yuuri insisted, not just for teasing but genuinely curious “Where do you work? Do you study?”

 

“Oh boy, you promise not to laugh?”

 

He nodded, nibbling on his spoon.

 

“I studied to be a business administrator, I got my title two years ago” Viktor confessed, much to Yuuri’s surprise “And I work at some boring office, for some boring sportswear brand some less boring people wear”

 

“Oh, I never would have imagined”

 

“Thanks, that’s the nicest thing someone ever said to me”

 

Yuuri laughed, never losing his balance as he continued to walk through the curb, even as he got distracted by Viktor’s amusing shame.

 

“Why did you study business if you don’t like it at all?” He asked, only then realizing he might have seemed sort of intrusive “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound nosy or anything, but…”

 

“It’s ok,I actually had a project in mind before I started studying, but life had other plans and I needed quick money, so I got into a big company instead. Just to play it safe”

 

“Oh…” Yuuri now had even more questions than before “And what did you want to work on?”

 

“Well…I had always wanted to have my own coffee shop, or maybe a bar, I don’t know…something in the gastronomy area” He looked kind of uneasy with the conversation, not exactly uncomfortable, but certainly not as relaxed as when he wasn’t the main topic “But now I guess I got way too used to my current lifestyle, I wouldn’t leave my job to try luck with that”

 

“I see…”

 

"And what about you? Why are you studying language arts?" He countered, smugly "What were your ambitions the city stole and crushed?"

 

Yuuri scratched the back of his neck, shrugging gawkily, still not in control of his own body language.

 

"To be honest, I was a bit childish. I just thought everything would be so...simple, I guess? Everyone back at Hasetsu always thought of the city as some kind of...land of opportunities or something. And I just thought it would be easier for me to..." he made a pause, trying to find the right words, or at least the least shameful ones "...well, I kind of always liked literature and..."

 

"You came here to become a writer?"

 

"Oh no! No, no, no! I'm not so idealistic!" He shook his head and waved his hands "I just wanted to be an editor, maybe, but..."

 

"You also write?"

 

"No! Well, yeah, but...not really!" He mumbled, almost losing balance on the curb "I mean...I came here thinking that it would be easier to find a job as an editor in the future...but..."

 

"You also saw that job as a chance to promote your own writings"

 

"Stop finishing my sentences!"

 

"Sorry" Viktor chuckled "Was I wrong?"

 

"No...” Yuuri exhaled, drowning his shame in ice cream “…and I think that's the problem"

 

There were some awkward seconds of sharp silence, only blunted by the soothing hum of the river and the distant horns and engines from a busy avenue, making it easier for Yuuri to tolerate. That was a nicer part of the city, he thought. Nothing to do with the crowded knead of buildings where he lived with Phichit.

 

"I would love to read what your write, someday" Viktor suddenly said, and Yuuri almost swallowed his spoon "I really like reading...what do you write? Prose? Poetry? Novels?"

 

"Uhm, mostly poetry" he confessed, coughing a little bit, and getting off the curb to avoid accidents "But I don’t write that much, I don’t have time, and I have a lot to learn yet..."

 

“I bet you write beautiful poetry, you seem to be a sensitive person”

 

Yuuri arched a brow.

 

“Again with the conclusions?” He scowled “What makes you think I’m sensitive?”

 

“I don’t know, don’t you ever have gut feelings?”

 

“Yeah, I have the gut feeling you are just being way too kind and this is all out of pity and that you’ll run away, eventually”

 

Viktor snorted.

 

“That’s not a gut feeling, that’s paranoia” He ruffled his hair, messing up his dedicated hairdo “And you are wrong, I’m not kind. In fact, I’m pretty selfish”

 

“Selfish?” Yuuri took a hand to his own hair, trying to fix it, afraid it would disfigure again into its natural fluffy mess “What’s selfish about offering some wine to a random wretched guy and asking him on an ice cream date?”

 

“Trying to date him fast enough to win over the bastard who stood him up”

 

Yuuri almost dropped his cup, turning red to the tip of his ears.

 

He didn’t know what was worse: to feel like he had been asked on a date out of pity, or to know that was really not the case and that that man actually had _expectations_.

 

It made him feel self-conscious, observed, like there was a role he was supposed to be filling.

 

He was used to be the one dealing with the expectations, letting them blow into his heart like a balloon until it bursted out. Or, at least, until they excited him so much he ended up crying his eyes out on a restaurant.

 

“That’s…uhm…I…”

 

“Was that too straightforward? Sorry” Viktor said, not looking sorry at all “It’s just that I can’t believe someone actually stood you up…did he call you? Did he give an excuse?”

 

“He sent me a text yesterday, saying that he was really sorry, that he forgot…” Yuuri sulked, hiding the pout with a sigh “I guess he wasn’t as excited about it as I was”

 

“I bet he’ll really regret it”

 

“Hmm, I don’t really think so. I mean, he didn’t even ask me out again…” He said, only then realizing just how desperate he sounded “I would have denied, of course! But, you know…”

 

He turned to the side, embarrassed, expecting to come across with that shameful, pitying face of sorry Viktor had given him at the restaurant. 

 

But Viktor wasn’t pouting.

 

Viktor was smirking.

 

“Do you want to be super petty and childish about it?” He said, maliciously “Because I have something in mind…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next day, when Yuuri went to the office, he realized just how bad of an actor he was.

 

He had promised himself he would play it cool, that he would act mature about what happened, and that he wouldn’t let anyone see through his impassive masquerade.

                                                                                                                                                     

He did it horribly.

 

The whole afternoon he spent it sending side glances to the stall next door, not really paying attention to his work, so hungry for drama he felt like he was slowly turning into Phichit.

 

No matter how many times the screen of his computer turned black and he was forced to see his reflection, he would always jump in shock. He wasn’t used to see himself looking like that in the office, with his hair slicked back and contact lenses, all well-groomed and ready for heartbreak. After his shift he usually just went back home to have dinner with Phichit and study, so there really wasn’t need to dress up. That day, however…

 

“Yuuri?”

 

He heard a voice, familiar, oh so familiar.

 

 A voice that used to get his heart to flutter and take flight, and now it only got it to sink it into the depths of his stomach, tangling within his entrails.

 

He knew his face might have already gave his feelings away, but he was still willing to act indifferent, so he pretended he didn’t hear him until he finished typing a sentence. Only then, he turned to look at him. Eyes aloof, gaze vaporized into the empty air.

 

“Oh, it’s you, Chihoko” He said, faking busyness, rereading what he had just written “Do you need something?”

 

The man stood still, biting his tongue, looking like a kid who forgot the words to his public speaking speech. Yuuri wanted to point it out, to ask why the sudden silence, but that would have given away his interest.

 

“I just…wanted to say sorry about what happened…” He went straight to the point, without giving Yuuri the time to prepare, nor to accept his fall “I’m sure you didn’t wait for me that much, right?”

 

There was a physical, acute pain in his chest; fast and precise, almost like a needle. That vaccine the doctor keeps saying it won’t hurt but it really does. Only that, for heartache, there’s no consolation lolly.

 

“It doesn’t matter” He answered through gritted teeth, not wanting to give up on his role “It happens”

 

He took a quick glance at his watch, realizing it was almost his time to leave already, so he began to put his things away.

 

“You look…different” Chihoko insisted in a conversation he really didn’t feel like having “Did you do something to your hair?”

 

Yuuri took a hand to his dark locks, playing oblivious, as if he hadn’t noticed the difference.

 

“I guess” He said, turning off his computer, meeting his glassless eyes on the reflection one last time before he turned to leave

 

“Wait!” He heard him call out for him “Uhm, please, I want to talk to you”

 

He was about to ask what he wanted, but his voice dried out on its way through his throat and he ended up humming instead.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Would you…like to go out with me, tonight?”

 

Yuuri froze in place, overwhelmed, feeling his heart racing and his palms beginning to sweat, suddenly remembering why he was such a bad actor.

 

He couldn’t even lie to himself.

 

“I…”

 

“Come on, I want to make it up for you”

 

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he played, he couldn’t act like he didn’t care.

 

“And how do I know you will show up?” He said, sounding bitterer than he had intended, trying to get into the elevator and away from him.

 

“Yuuri!” He followed him in, cornering him against the wall as soon as the automatic doors were closed, sounding nothing like he imagined a flirtatious voice would be “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it up to you, I promise”

 

Yes, Viktor was right, Yuuri was sensitive. A he was a sweet, affectionate person, and he didn’t feel like ignoring the man he had been fantasizing about for months. He couldn’t. Even though the feeling of abandonment at the restaurant had put out his passion, ashes were still there to tickle his chest, and remind him of the fire.

 

“Why do you suddenly care? You didn’t seem to care on Friday…”

 

“Please, give me a break, I forgot!” Chihoko grabbed his shoulder, stroking him, taking way too much advantage of the elevator’s privacy.

 

“Please don’t touch me” He said, as calmly as his nerves allowed him, not really liking that possessive grab and the tone in his voice. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but there were still ten more floors to go “I really appreciate your apology, but I don’t feel like...”

 

“Why? Didn’t you like me?”

 

He wasn’t exactly being aggressive, but there was something in the way he talked that made Yuuri feel like the elevator was somehow shrinking, closing them together.

 

He felt lost, confused. He wasn’t used of being treated that way, and he didn’t know how it was like to be wanted.

 

He didn’t know anything outside his fantasies, the thousand scenarios that he had played inside his head so many times it almost made the foreign reality seem familiar: The hands on either side of his head, the face just centimeters away from his own, the voice so low and deep it put his hairs on end. It was all the same. And yet, it somehow felt so different.

 

“Uhm…I...”

 

“Come on, I don’t deserve to be denied just because I forgot! Don’t be selfish”

 

_Selfish?_

 

No, Yuuri had been wrong.

 

He did know what being truly wanted felt like.

 

“I’m sorry, I can’t” He hadn’t want to play the Viktor card so early, it wasn’t part of the plan, but the situation required it “I have another date today”

 

“Another date??” He could see the hope crumbling away from his face, unmasking the anger underneath “With whom?? Where did you meet someone so fast?? You asked me out three days ago!!”

 

Chihoko tried to grab him to stay, but Yuuri pushed him away, storming out of the elevator as soon as it hit the ground floor.

 

“On Friday, at 9PM, on that restaurant by the riverside”

 

Without giving him time to reply he turned around and left the building, knowing the man was chasing right after him, and looked around in the search for Viktor who had promised to take him out for dinner after his shift ended.

 

Had to swallow a gasp when he saw him waiting for him outside on a red, convertible Ferrari, dressed in nothing but pure Chanel and expensive sunglasses.

 

“Yuuri, over here!” He honked at him, smiling, his teeth shinning brighter than the car’s polish.

 

Yuuri had to blink several times to get over the blinding shine, but he couldn’t get over the confusion.

 

He looked at Chihoko, as if he could give him an answer, but it was only when he saw the distress on his face that he realized he was supposed to keep up with his acting, and that he should probably pretend he knew what the hell was going on.

 

“Viktor!” He waved at him, believably casual.

 

“There you are! Here…” Viktor handed him a wet bottle of champagne, winking, staring at Chihoko with the corner of his eye “I hope it’s still cold! If not we can order another one when we get to _Le titulaire de l'or_ ”

 

Yuuri gulped, eyes bugged out, trying to find his own voice within his babbling.

 

“ _Le titulaire de l'or_?? That fancy French restaurant?”

 

“Only the best for you” He saw him smirk and boop his nose, starting the engine. “Now, let’s go. I did a reservation at the best love hotel in town and we need to have dinner before we have breathtaking sex” Viktor turned to Chihoko one last time, lowering his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose and nodding his head as some sort of greeting “Good evening, sir”.

 

And he started the engine for once and for all, leaving a very much upset man behind, and getting as lost in the traffic as a Ferrari probably could.

 

As soon as they turned around the corner though, and once they were sure they were far away from his hearing field, they both abandoned their flawless, charming postures and fell into a maniacal laughing fit, not even the honks from hurried drivers were able to cover up.

 

“A Ferrari?? Are you serious?? Where did you take this from??” Yuuri spit between chuckles, holding his throbbing stomach.

 

“It’s a friend’s” Viktor dried a falling tear “My real car is just a silver Toyota”

 

“And what about the _Le titulaire de l'or?”_

“Oh, don’t get excited about that, we’re just going to a sushi restaurant”

 

“Yeah, I guessed so” Yuuri giggled, looking downwards at the champagne in his hands “Is this real though?”

 

“Yes, that one’s for real” He said, smugly “I was planning to open it after dinner, you know, at the love hotel…”

 

Yuuri almost dropped the bottle, staring at him in panic, until he saw him let out a strangled, mocking chortle.

 

“I’m just pulling your leg, you dork” He pinched his cheek.

 

“Ha ha, very funny” Yuuri snorted, looking away, feeling his face growing hot. He could hide his dread from Viktor, but he couldn’t hide it from himself.

 

“And? Was the revenge worth it?” Viktor teased, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head “I don’t get why taking so much trouble with that guy, he’s not even that handsome. Ugly city boy”

 

Yuuri wanted to laugh, he really did, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to do so.

 

What had just happened at the office hadn’t been as light as they had planned it to be. It would take him a long time to exhale all the stuffed, poisonous air he had breathed in that elevator, that Chihoko had fumed into his lungs. It would be hard to forget the anger in his voice, the look on his face, the grab of his fingers he swore he could still feel. He was nervous, jumpy, still sick with the dread of being cornered and trapped in such a small place, with someone treating him so aggressively. So demanding.

 

He didn’t want to be melodramatic, but the fingerprints on his shoulder weren’t the only thing that hurt.

 

The car fell into a long silence, still a bit uncomfortable as he tried to digest the happenings, but actually kind of soothing with the wind blowing on his face. The city’s air had never felt fresher, and although starless, its sky had never looked more beautiful. It was another kind of landscape, to have the moon framed by buildings and flashy signs and screens, and to hear the sounds of horns and engines instead of crickets. But it wasn’t exactly unpleasant. Especially right then, inside that fancy car, listening to some moving eighties song on the stereo, with Viktor at the wheel.

 

Without thinking about it too much, he slowly took a hand to rest on his shoulder. And, before he could even get questioned about it, he hugged him close.

 

It wasn’t really intimate, he just wrapped his arms around him awkwardly and leaned his head on him for a while. He didn’t get to see Viktor’s reaction, since his position didn’t really allow him to. But after a while he felt a hand falling gently onto the small of his back, and that was all the feedback he needed. Although he didn’t ask anything out loud, Yuuri could feel the obvious inquiry in the way his body tensed under his own, in the fastening pace of his heart, in the way he stared at him from the rear-view mirror with so many questions in his eyes.

 

And yet, he didn’t answer.

 

He really didn’t have an excuse.

 

“Thank you” Was all he could bring himself to say. Even though he knew it was weird, even though he knew it wasn’t a good idea to hug a person while driving, and even though the other probably had no clue on what was the embrace all about. He didn’t care. He just closed his eyes, and exhaled a breath he could have been holding for a whole year. A breath, which still smelt like the outskirts of Hasetsu “Thank you, for everything”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can continue this, if you want. I have a few ideas...would you like that?


	3. Chapter 3

The sushi restaurant was crowded. Of course it would be. It was a tiny building, crumpled between giant glass offices, filled to the brim with tired workers wanting to drown their sorrow in soy sauce.

They were about to leave in the haunt for other restaurant, when Yuuri suggested they could order some take-out and go eat it somewhere else.

At first, it sounded like a good idea, considering the car ride had been quite long and it had given them enough time to fantasize about those maki rolls. But once they were out and carrying a full bag each, they realized they didn't really know where to sit down to actually eat it.

With both of them being way too awkward to invite the other to their respective apartment, they ended up eating inside the car, drinking the champagne from plastic cups, and setting up the roof and the polarized windows to make sure no one saw they were still at the restaurant's parking lot. Theoretically, they couldn't kick them out. They had bought something, after all.

"This isn't at all what I had planned" Viktor chuckled, hissing as the beverage's bubbles almost flooded over the cup "How am I supposed to woo you with this low budget date?"

"Cheers!" Yuuri crashed his drink with his, careful of not spilling a drop on the car's flawless upholstery "I don't mind, I mean...we are in a Ferrari!” He laughed “Besides...here we can control the music"

He began to scroll through the different radio stations, until he ran across some tranquil, old rock song that seemed to fit the atmosphere perfectly.

"Woah, that's some optimism! Are you ok?" He mocked him, placing his hand on his forehead as if taking his temperature "Where's the default pessimistic Yuuri?"

Yuuri pushed his hand away, biting a smile, and taking a roll into his mouth.

"Do you want me to be pessimist? Cause I can start talking about how the whole car smells like fish, the fact now all my coworkers will ask me many uncomfortable questions about what happened, and how my eyes are starting to burn from wearing contacts all day, and..."

"Contacts?" Viktor blinked, amused "You wear glasses?"

"Yeah...well, I don't usually wear contacts because they make my eyes really dry. But I'm blind as a mole, so I have to use them for special occasions"

"Oh? So I'm a special occasion?"

Yuuri laughed an awkward chortle, internally swearing as he saw himself blushing on the windshield's reflection.

"Well, any date would be a special occasion..."

"Woah, savage" Viktor crossed his arms, leaning backwards onto his seat and staring forwards, only checking his reaction through the rare-vision mirror "You just crushed my self-esteem"

"What a shame" Yuuri tried to roll his eyes, but they were so dry it hurt "Ugh, I hate wearing these though...I'm not used to disposable ones, my eyes burn"

"Do you want to take them out?"

"No, it's ok" He tried to blink the pain away "I think I can last till I get home"

To be honest, he had sought to take them out for hours, even at the office they were already a bother. But he didn't want to do something so uncharming like sticking his fingers into his lid in front of his date, so he just bared with it.

Yet, Viktor didn't buy his acting.

"Your eyes are a bit red, you can go to the restrooms” He insisted “I don’t mind, I’ll wait for you”

Yuuri gave up, leaving the magical ambience of the car behind as he made his way to the restaurant, trying to act as sly as possible about the fact he was just getting in for the toilets. He washed his hands first, of course, since they smelt like fish, and he took his lenses out carefully and threw them away. He wasn’t planning on using them anytime soon and they had already hurt him enough, honestly.

Everything was going on fine, until he realized he had forgotten his glasses in his bag.

Of course, Viktor laughed his ass off as he saw him walking out of the restaurant clinging from the walls, running over two different people, and tripping over the entrance’s step.

“Easy there” He mocked, opening the car’s door for him “You weren’t lying when you said you were blind”

This time Yuuri didn’t need to look at the windshield’s reflection to know he was as red as a ripe tomato (not that he could actually see anything, anyways). He could feel his face burning as he reached for his bag on the backseat, and desperately searched for his glasses’ case inside.

“Ah, here it is” He sighed with relief, for a second fearing he might had left it at home “Sorry about that”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I really want to see how you look with…” Viktor’s voice hitched as Yuuri turned around, eyes framed and widened by a pair of blue eyeglasses.

“I know, I know…they are thick” Yuuri tried to shrug off the discomfort, ignoring Phichit’s voice in the back of his head telling him he looked like Milhouse “You can start with the four-eyes jokes now”

“Uhm, no, actually….” Viktor cleared his throat, blinking several times, as if getting used to the sight “You look really good in glasses”

Yuuri snorted.

“You know, in movies the flirting works the other way around” He said, thinking it was a joke “The cliché compliment is usually about looking good  _ without _ the glasses, after the suspiciously geeky protagonist goes through an unconvincing makeover. Like The princess diaries, or Spiderman”

Viktor chuckled, taking a hand to cover his smile, his face growing pink around it like a field of blooming flowers. He looked soft, softer than Yuuri had ever seen him. Unthinkingly warm. As if the same heat of his cheeks could melt his features into lax, ductile harmony, bliss, and something else he couldn’t bring himself to explain.

“No, Yuuri. I’m serious” He said, voice breathy and low. And it was only when he could feel his breath swaying onto his own lips, that Yuuri realized just how close he was “You are beautiful”

Warmth must have been contagious, because Yuuri's chest was suddenly burning, steaming, heat spreading up through his neck and all the way to the tip of his ears.

He swallowed, his mouth feeling dry and his eyes crossing as he tried to follow Viktor's own, that kept getting nearer and nearer, closer, so close he couldn't even focus them anymore.

He had questions, so many questions buzzing around his head like a honeycomb. Sweet, so very sweet his tongue got clogged and stuck, speechless, as he stared into his eyes.

_ "YOU are beautiful" _ he wanted to say, to remark the obvious, to point out that outstanding mistake that offended the blue of his perfect irises, the white of his teeth and the overall heartache he caused to the sight  _ "You are the one who's beautiful, I don't understand why would you even..." _

He couldn't say that out loud. He couldn't say something so evident with the risk of sounding like a total fool. He couldn't, it was embarrassing. So he just kept completely quiet, frozen, and yet so hot. So overwhelmed and so lost, tasting the soy in Viktor's breath as he closed his lids, and waited.

Their smothering silence was interrupted by the strident melody of a ringtone, and Yuuri didn't miss the disappointment in Viktor's face before he reached for the phone in his pocket and picked up.

"Hello?" He answered, not even checking the caller's ID.

"WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY BABY??"

He had to move the speaker away from his hurt ear, the scream heaving been loud enough to resound through the whole car.

"Oh...hi Chris"

"Viktor, where’s my baby??" The masculine voice insisted, distorted by distress and the call's interference "Are you taking care of him?? Is he in your field of sight??"

Yuuri knew he shouldn't judge, but it was getting very difficult not to do so.

"Don't worry Chris, your car is fine" Viktor said, clarifying any misunderstandings before his date jumped to any conclusions "We are inside right now"

"You are on the phone while driving my baby!?? If you crash I swear I'll...!"

"Calm down, we are not driving, we are having sushi..."

There were five seconds of solid silence.

"You are  _ eating _ in there!?? For fucks sake!!" Chris screamed, just like a distressed mother "I can't believe I let you use my Ferrari to seduce some random guy!"

Yuuri had to take a hand to his mouth and push a chortle back in as not to be heard through the phone call.

"Ugh, for your information, it wasn't to seduce the guy" Viktor explained, masking his shame with irritation “It was just to make a guy who stood up the guy jealous”

The man on the phone exhaled.

"I don't understand, and I don't care. I just want my baby back safe and sound" He said "Is said guy still there with you?"

"The asshole or the cutie?" Viktor chirped, winking at Yuuri.

"The cutie, of course"

"Yes, he's still here" He pointed the speaker onto said cutie’s face "Say hi, Yuuri!"

"Uhm, hi?"

“Listen up, there’s a new brewery opening next weekend by the city center, and of course I have free drinks for me and all my acquaintances. Viktor, you already know you are invited. And unknown cutie, you can come along too”

Yuuri saw Viktor’s silent ask for approval, and without really knowing what to answer he limited himself to shrug.

“We’ll both be there, worry not” He heard him say, confidently “Let’s talk later Chris, I’m kind of busy now”

“Oh? Did I interrupt something?” Chris teased, totally not guilty at all.

“Hmm, maybe you did” Yuuri didn’t miss the way Viktor stared at him as he said that. Almost as if waiting for a confirmation, as if asking:  _ did he? Did he interrupt us? “ _ I’ll be there to park your baby in about an hour”

“Park it? Oh no, you won’t park it! I’ll be there waiting for you at the entrance, and I’ll be the one to…”

“Bye Chris!”

He hung up.

Yet, he still had another call to pick up, and that was Yuuri’s desperate call for answers.

“Who was that?”

“That was my so called friend, Chris. The actual owner of the Ferrari” He said, patting the front of the car almost affectionately “He’s disgustingly rich because his father is the owner of a really popular brand of beer, and he’s gladly following his steps”

“Oh, that actually explains a lot” Yuuri giggled, taking another sushi roll to his mouth, swallowing before he talked “You had never talked about him before…in fact, you never talked about any of your friends or family!”

Viktor stared at him, puzzled.

“I never really thought you would care”

“Of course I do! I already told you about my family, and Phichit…what about you? If you don’t mind telling me, of course…”

“Oh no, I don’t mind, It’s just…” He cut himself and restarted the sentence “Chris is one of my best friends since high school, and I’m also friends with some of my co-workers. There’s Georgi, and Mila…they are cool. And well, of course Makkachin is the best friend ever and ever!”

Yuuri heard carefully, nodding in acknowledgement.

“Oh, your circle is actually so much smaller than I thought” He blurted out before he could even realize what he was saying “I mean…that’s great! Phichit is kind of like my only friend so…” Did he really just say that?? “Of course I had more friends back in Hasetsu! But…”

“Better fewer but better” Viktor said impassively, almost as if repeating someone else’s speech.

“Yeah, and what about your family?”

“Well…I never really met my father, so it’s just me, my mom, and my little step brother. He’s the son of my mom’s husband, and we get along pretty well” He explained, smiling numbly “I moved out some years ago, but I still visit them quite frequently. Especially my brother”

“Don’t they live in the same house?”

“Yeah, well, kind of…it’s hard to explain” Viktor waved his hands and dismissed the topic “I just see him more often”

“I see…” Yuuri still had a few more questions, but he decided not to press further on. Friends and family was always an easy conversation topic for him, it was personal and charming to talk about. But, in this case, it was giving him a bit more trouble “The sushi is really good! I hadn’t tried this restaurant before”

“You hadn’t? I love it, it’s great! And you didn’t know the ice cream shop from yesterday either…are you sure we’ve been living in the same city for a year?”

“Shut up” Yuuri laughed softly and punched his shoulder, looking up at him with playful eyes.

Yet, as he was about to think of something witty enough to say in response, Viktor’s chopsticks slipped and dropped a sauce-soaked roll right onto the car’s beige upholstery.

“FUCK!”

After fifteen minutes of full panic in which they desperately tried to erase the evidence of their clumsiness (with Yuuri laughing through the whole process, of course), the seat’s smudge was somehow invisible. Sort of. It took a lot of hand sanitizer and tissue paper but Viktor managed to turn the brown stain into an almost indistinguishable mark, which only very attentive eyes and very clear lighting would care to point out.

Before returning the car to his dear owner, he dropped Yuuri by his apartment first. He parked a block away, since it was quite a busy street and he couldn’t find a place. And, against Yuuri’s insistence, he wanted to accompany him to the door.

“Did you have a good time?” He asked him, grinning bashfully, brown eyes still shiny with mirth and laughter.

“I did” He answered in full honesty, mirroring his smile “despite all the inconveniences”

“Yeah” Yuuri chuckled, looking away with abashment “You…you are really pleasant to be with”

Viktor took a hand to his upper back, tasting the waters, and when he got a shy smile of approbation, he slipped his arm around his shoulders. Distant, still with the hesitant measure of a wooer, not a lover. But gratifying either way.

They walked in silence until they reached the entrance and they stared at each other, finding the scene ridiculously familiar. They knew what was supposed to happen. They had seen enough movies already to know how dates ended, when the main couple was alone under the dark unpoetic moonlight, in front of a porch and saying their goodbyes, looking into each other’s eyes.

“I had fun” Yuuri said, trying to break the predictability, but making it worse instead “Thank you, for everything”

“When can I see you again?”

“I don’t know, I’ll be kind of busy with exams and work, but we’ll keep in touch. You can message me, if you want”

“Will you come to that bar inauguration next weekend?” Viktor asked, voice begging, as he took a hand to rest on the crook of his neck “You can take Phichit, if you want”

“Yeah, I would like that” Yuuri’s eyes lidded, unthinking, as he felt the heat of another face looming over his.

Viktor paused, vacillating, lips ghosting indecisively. For a second Yuuri thought he would retract and kiss his cheeks instead, but he seemed to opt for a midpoint instead. And, as Yuuri closed his eyes, he felt a warm pair of lips pressing softly onto the corner of his mouth.

“Good night” He heard him whisper, and sensed the weight of the hand slowly withdrawing from his shoulder “Thank you”

Yuuri opened the front glass door and entered the building right after that.

But it wasn’t until he heard the engine, and saw the bright red car disappearing into the night’s traffic, that he allowed himself to get into the elevator. 

* * *

  
  
  


Yuuri’s week at the office seemed longer than any other week since he moved to the city.

He wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing, but his perfect, flat routine was experimenting some cracks. Starting with Viktor’s daily texts, his silent staring contests with Chihoko, and the thousand curious questions of his co-workers that, eventually, leaded to some conversations. It was different to have people actually talking to him next to the coffee dispenser. It was different to have the secretary greeting him as he passed through the reception on Wednesday. It was different not to search for any pretext to stay standing still next to the elevator, and only getting in once a certain someone did.

It was different to have something to look forwards to.

To check his phone for messages regularly, to expect something for the weekend rather than studying and watching series, daydreaming about factual, future situations, generating expectations for things he knew that would happen.

Obviously, dealing with Phichit’s teasing wasn’t novelty, but let’s just say he had a new favorite motive. It didn’t take more than being caught staring at his phone to get suggestive  _ “Who are you texting?” _ and the impish wiggling of eyebrows, that he always chose to ignore.

He didn’t get to see Viktor within those days, he was still a busy man, and there were still parts of his routine that hadn’t changed. Like the intimidating pile of document he needed to revise, and the thick college textbooks he hadn’t even bothered to open till then.

Of course, they still sent lots of texts to each other. No matter at what time of the day he answered his messages, the man would always be online to reply right back, and with a confusing amount of emojis. Thankfully Phichit was always there to translate what the emojis meant. Yuuri could have never guessed on his own just how much of a deal was to receive  _ four _ consecutive kissing faces.

On Saturday, he woke up at 6AM to study all day long and have a free, careless evening, without worrying about that imminent literature exam. It was the first time he was going to have some drinks with a group of people since he arrived to the city, and he didn’t need any more reasons to be nervous. He was glad at least he would be able to have his friend there with him, in case Viktor got distracted with other people and things got too awkward. His brain was about to burst with what-ifs and suppositions. After all, he had had almost a week to breed his worries like a plague.  

“You look pretty good!” Phichit pointed out as they left the apartment, fixing his hair a bit more for him before they stopped a taxi “Don’t you want to leave the glasses though?”

“Oh, not really. I’m done with contacts. Plus…” He smirked, voice breathy and playful “Viktor said I look good in glasses”

“My my! Get into the taxi, Romeo!”

The place was set like some kind of German beerhouse, lightened by dim, yellowish bulbs and drunkard chortles, exposing several barrels filled with a variety of different beverages. Maybe it wasn’t the right moment to remember he actually didn’t like beer. He saw Viktor sitting on one of the tables at the back, a huge table, with almost every seat occupied. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to remember he was socially inept, either.

He grabbed Phichit’s arm instinctively, like a little kid holding to his mother’s leg as he got into preschool, his previous confidence disappearing as fast as the beer from the jugs. His friend rolled his eyes, detaching his grip like a bothersome tick, and walking towards the table with his usual, bold confidence. And Yuuri had no more option that following him awkwardly.

Viktor’s face popped up from his corner as he saw them come in. He was sitting almost at the end of the long row of tables, having a horde of chattering people to his right, and the last remaining empty spaces to his left. Waving his hand, he invited the new arrivers to sit down, smiling friendly and warning the waitress of their presence.

“Yuuri, welcome!” He greeted. And, almost immediately, the blondish man besides him turned around to the sound of the name “I assume that’s Phichit”

“Yup, that’s me!” Phichit introduced himself, pinching his friends cheek “Aww, you talked about me!”

That wasn’t really helping with Yuuri’s nerves.

“Uhm, hi” He said coyly, giggling nervously. 

“That’s all I heard you say until now” The blondish man pointed out “You mumbled the exact same thing through the phone”

Oh, that must have been Chris then.

“Eh, yeah, I guess” 

“Sit down, Yuuri!” Viktor patted the chair next to his own, the one at his left, smiling from ear to eat “How was your week? Did the ugly city boy cause you any trouble?”

Phichit and Chris looked at each other, assuming it was a private joke, and their confusion seemed to be amusing for the knowing pair.

“No, he doesn’t even talk to me. He just…stares at my stall as if it were haunted or something” Yuuri laughed, sitting at the place that appeared to have been especially assigned to him, feeling slightly more comfortable and welcomed “What about you? How’s Makkachin?”

“I love how you can ask him about conflictive ex-dates and all he asks you about is your dog” Chris elbowed his friend, earning quite an unpleased look for a reaction “You need to get a life”

“Thank you for your contribution, Chris” Viktor hid his shame by taking a sip of his beer “And yes, Makkachin is as wonderful as always”

Yuuri laughed, genuinely this time.

“So…” He said, looking at the busy, endless table “better fewer but better?”

Viktor didn’t understand the joke at first, but then he remembered their conversation at the car.

“Oh, I don’t know all of these people, most are just Chris’ friends” He explained, pointing at said man, who had already butted in at another conversation “Tonight I only invited you, Mila and Georgi who are over there, and my little brother wanted to drop by…maybe he’ll be here in a while with a friend of his”

Yuuri didn’t feel the need to point out the way his brow frowned as he mentioned the idea.

Phichit, however, didn’t have the same sense of politeness.  

“Oh? You don’t seem very happy about that” He teased “I smell some sibling rivalry”

“He is underage, and he’s not supposed to go out that much…”

“How old is he?” Yuuri asked.

“He’ll be sixteen this March”

“Oh, but he’s in age to start some nightlife! Maybe not drinking yet, but…”

Viktor wasn’t really looking at Phichit as he nodded. His eyes were there but at the same time they weren’t, like an unsmiling Mona Lisa.

“Hmm, maybe”

The air was suddenly as thick as the beer foam sticking onto Chris’ moustache, and it didn’t take long for Phichit’s social instincts to realize the conversation needed a crutch.

“So...has anyone here seen The King and the Skater 2 yet??”

The talking was light from then on. Phichit, with his bubbly mood and witty comments, was immediately invited into other chat circles, and Yuuri and Viktor were left alone to engage in casual small talks.

At some point the waiter came back to offer one more round of different types of beer, and Yuuri grabbed a random glass just to avoid feeling left out. But as soon as he took a small sip the way his nose wrinkled gave him away, and Viktor laughed at him.

“Hmm…I think someone doesn’t like beer”

“Busted” he pleaded guilty, trying to swallow down any remains of the taste away from his mouth “It’s just too bitter for me”

“What type are you drinking?”

“I don’t even know, to be honest”

“Let me try it”

Viktor took a sip of his glass, humming pleasantly and clicking his tongue at the flavor.

“Hmm, this is IPA” He said, licking the foam away from his lip “It’s a really bitter kind”

“Well, makes sense” Yuuri chuckled “You can have it, I can’t drink it”

“Try with mine” Viktor handed him his, pushing it across the table “It’s honey beer, it’s way sweeter”

Distrustful, he took the smallest of sips and swallowed, closing his eyes and expecting the disgust. However, even though it wasn’t very tasty, it wasn’t exactly horrible either. 

“Hmm, much better!” He smiled, glad he wouldn’t feel excluded any longer “You know a lot about beer! You must visit this kind of places very often”

“Well, I…”                                                                                

“Oh, does he know…” Chris turned around out of nowhere, wrapping an arm around his friend’s shoulders “I’m the one who gets him the free drinks! Believe me,I’ve seen some shit”

Viktor sipped his beer nervously.

“Chris…”

“He gets drunk almost every weekend. And do you know who has to go pick his wasted ass afterwards? Yeah, me and my baby” Chris continued to chuckle, pointing at Viktor’s chest “He has quite an interesting nightlife…”

“Does he?” Yuuri asked, tilting his head with confusion.

“Chris, I think that’s enough…” 

“Did he ever tell you about the Ikea incident?” 

There was a puzzled shaking of his head.

“Please, stop telling that anecdote to everyone…” Viktor begged, rubbing his temples.

“Oh but I want to hear it now…” Yuuri teased.

“Me too!” Phichit reappeared into the talk, always hungry for rumors.

Chris cleared his throat, preparing for some serious storytelling.

“Ok, so it’s four in the morning, winter, 2016…”

“Here we go again…”

“We are at my car, wondering where the hell Viktor was after he got drunk at his own apartment during a small reunion and run outside in some stupid adrenaline rush. We had already drove through the whole neighborhood and we couldn’t seem to find him, and we were beginning to consider calling the police. Suddenly, we get a phone call from him…”

Yuuri listened carefully, already giggling in anticipation.

He couldn’t help but notice he kept saying  _ we _ as he told the story. Was there a second person involved? Who else was there?

“He was so wasted he didn’t even know where he was, so we tell him to activate his location and send it to us… He was inside a building, we could notice, he was in the middle of a block. We were afraid he had gotten into private property, but when we got there…It was a freaking Ikea”

Viktor’s leg wouldn’t stop tapping nervously, face hid behind his jug as he drank sip after sip, trying to ignore the shame. It wasn’t until he felt a gentle hand on his knee, and the beam of an even gentler, calming smile next to him, that he managed relax a little bit.

Yuuri sensed the weight of another hand in his, keeping it in place.

“We parked, we got out of the car and got inside in a rush. We asked employees if they had seen a really drunk man walking around but they had no idea. And that’s when we got to the kitchen section. He was, I kid you not, totally naked, climbed onto the…”

“Oi! Telling the fucking Ikea incident again?” A cranky, moody voice cut through the story “It’s not funny, it wasn’t  _ you _ who got vomited, dude!”

The second person had entered the scene.

Yuuri turned around, absentmindedly, mouth filled with fluttering giggles that immediately died like a sprayed swarm of butterflies. 

  


Standing right next to the table, there was a blond teen staring at him with green, piercing eyes. 

  


Though he wished the eyes had been the first thing he noticed. 

  


He was thin, outstandingly scrawny, his face was pale and his hair blond and opaque, and there was a nasogastric tube attached to his pointy nose.

“Yurio!” Yuuri felt the grip on his wrist tightening as Viktor spoke “It’s almost 11 PM! I told you to come earlier so that you wouldn’t leave so late”

“It's not that late” The kid rolled his eyes, pulling the chair in front of him with his feet and sitting down “Beka is here with me, he’ll take me home after we are done”

The other guy, who Yuuri had failed to notice until the blond pointed at him, sat down next to his friend and stared at the scene in solemn silence, as if it were habitual.

“You have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning” Viktor insisted “You have to wake up at…”

“7AM, I know, I don’t care” There was a bratty pout “Beka can take me”

“Will you be there on time? This is no joking matter”

“Yeah, stop bothering, you sound just like mom” He said, and Yuuri’s breath got stuck in his throat “Now, somebody bring me a beer!”

That was Viktor’s little brother.

“Beer!? Yurio you have a diet to follow!” Viktor grabbed his arm from across the table, stopping him from calling the waitress “And you are underage!”

“What?? Come on!”

“Don’t be moody, Yurio” Chris butted into the conversation, resting his chin on his hand “All in due time”

Yurio sighed, crossing his arms and leaning on the backrest, the tubes on his face bending as he frowned. He looked around, for the first time seeming interested in his surroundings, and his sharp, piercing eyes weren’t late to fall into Yuuri’s sneaky hand, still resting on Viktor’s leg.

“And who the hell are you?” The kid asked, eyes torn between his face and his offending hand.

“Oh, uhm, hi…” Yuuri stuttered “I’m Yuuri, nice to meet you”

But he didn’t seem to be interested in his answer. He was waiting for Viktor's.

“He’s… someone I met” He answered vaguely.

“No shit Sherlock. You totally hadn’t met yet and that’s why you are holding hands under the table”

They immediately let go of each other, feeling the entire table was suddenly staring at them.

“Am I not allowed to have dates?” Viktor tried to act cool.

“To be honest, I can’t believe someone would ever want to date you” Yurio said, turning to Yuuri “Are you mentally handicapped or something?”

“Ehh, not really”

“Then why?”

Yuuri had his tongue tangled into more knots than usual. He was intimidated, both by his stiffness and his softness, the strength in his voice and the feebleness of his body. The tubes on his face were almost concealed by the intensity of his powerful eyes, but no matter how rough his voice and his words could get, he was still so pale and bony. And he still looked sick.  Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to feel angered.

“Don’t be rude, Yura” The quiet guy who came with him put a hand on the beast’s shoulder “Come on, let’s order something”

Yurio obeyed, turning to look at the menu, even though his eyes didn't seem to leave Yuuri through the whole while.

* * *

  


“Hold me, Yuuri! I’m falling!”

A pair of gleeful chortles fluttered freely through the city’s silent night. Two grown men, one of them leaning his entire weight onto the other, walked with slow, clumsy steps through the empty streets of a residential neighborhood. It must have been around two in the morning by then, the sky was still dark, and the moon peeped at them timidly from behind a building.

“Stand up! Viktor, I’m not carrying you!” Yuuri laughed, trying to get him to stand straight “Just some minutes ago you could walk just fine!”

“Hmm, my last beer must have kicked in just yet, then!” The man clung from him again “THE GROUND IS WOBBLING, I’M LOSING MY STABILITY! CARRY ME!”

After Viktor got tipsy enough to bring some Anya into the conversation and make that Georgi guy cry, they had decided to call it a night. Yuuri had been about to get into a taxi with Phichit, but his friend insisted (with a lot of suspicious coughs and winks) that maybe Viktor was “way too drunk to leave all by himself” and that maybe Yuuri should walk him home.

“I can’t carry you, dumbass, you are heavier than me!”

“Are you calling me fat?”

Yuuri snorted, wrapping his arm around his wrist and letting him rest on his shoulder.

“No, I am not” He said, walking more comfortably, noticing he wasn’t carrying any weight. Once he got what he wanted, Viktor’s balance seemed to work perfectly fine “Your brother called  _ me _ fat, though”

“Ugh, you’ll have to excuse him…” He sighed, a faint cloud of fog leaving his mouth as he exhaled “It’s not personal, he treats everyone like that”

“It’s ok, I wasn’t that bad” Yuuri shrugged it off “I mean, he treated me pretty well after I let him drink the last sips of my beer”

Viktor giggled, pulling him closer, not even playing the drunkard anymore.

“Thank god he didn’t like it. He’ll, he’s always trying to break his diet. You would never imagine the scandal he once did cause I didn’t let him eat Fruit Loops”

Yuuri coughed a tired chuckle, but it withered before it even sounded like one.

He looked downwards, trying to tame his curiosity before it got him to ask improper questions. With all the chattering at the bar and the kid’s sharp tongue, he had been able to push the obvious doubts to the back of his mind for a while. But once the topic was brought back, the image he had created out of Yurio’s fervent personality wasn’t late to peel off. Underneath: white skin, tubes and bones.

“You are wondering what’s wrong with his health, aren’t you?”

The question caught him off-ward, and at the same time it didn’t. He had been repeating it so much inside his head through the whole night, that it felt almost like an echo when Viktor repeated it out loud.

He looked at him, eyes wide and mouth small, lips contracted, sucked inwards. He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either. And his silence was an obvious, unmistakable answer.

“It’s ok if you want to know, It’s normal” Viktor breathed audibly, eyes lost nowhere, as he talked to the empty night “He has a metabolic dysfunction, his body doesn’t absorb nutrients properly, and it gives him different kinds of problems. He is on treatment now and it’s under control, but before he got properly diagnosed he went through some serious trouble”

“What kind of trouble?” The question came out before he could even think of stopping it.

“Multiple seizures and heart failure”

Yuuri felt the weight of a boulder inside his ribcage, hindering his breathing and squeezing a gasp out from his lungs. He covered mouth and muffled the sound, swallowing it, feeling it sharp and heavy as it slid down his throat.

His empathy was merciless, presenting him the vivid thought of such a young kid under that condition, fighting for his life before he could even taste it. Before he even understood what he was fighting for. He let sympathy twirl his stomach and rust the flesh around his bones, feeling so sorry and so appalled, as he turned to look at Viktor with horror in his eyes.

Yet, Viktor didn’t look back at him to console his pity. He kept facing forwards with absolute solemnity.

As if it didn’t sting him. As if he had digested the gasps and the boulders way too long ago.

“He’s stable now, don’t worry, he’s fine. But there’s many things he sees kids his age doing and he wants to try. His classmates went ice-skating the other day, and we didn’t let him go since doctors recommended little to no sports, and he wouldn’t have any kind of supervision in the rink” He said, taking another mouthful of fresh air, making a pause before he talked again “He is a good kid, he has been through a lot” 

Yuuri opened his mouth, trying to say something, anything, but nothing came out but fog. His words rusted in their way through his throat. He struggled to at least being able to look at him in the eye, to give him some silent support, but he couldn’t find his gaze. It was lost, somewhere between the city’s suburbs, hiding in the darkness, unreachable.

Almost as unreachable as the empty hopes and promises the city said to offer.

“ _ You _ did it, didn’t you?”

He asked, his voice echoing within the buildings, merging with the car fumes, trapped forever into that concrete jungle.

“I did what?”

“Yurio’s treatment. You paid for it, am I right?” He could feel Viktor’s hold stiff around him, the weight of his arm feeling like dead matter around his shoulder “That’s why you chose to work in that company, that’s why you stay in the city even though you hate it. You do it for him.”  

For the first time during the whole conversation, Viktor turned to look at him. He let go of his hold, attending the real effects of beer by rubbing his temples, trying to ease the headache.

“It’s not a big deal…” He said, trying to dismiss the topic.

“Yes it is, Viktor! That’s very noble! Why do you go around saying you are selfish??”

“Because I am!”  The sudden raise of his voice startled Yuuri, making him stop his track, eyes trying to get in terms with the picture of a broken Viktor “I spend the entire week distracting myself with useless work, and my weekends drinking at random bars and restaurants and getting wasted while my family needs me. If that’s not being selfish, then I don’t know what it is. You heard Chris’ crazy anecdotes, I have no self-control. That’s why my brother thinks I’m a moron”

Viktor let his gaze drop to the ground, not wanting to face Yuuri’s disappointment. Alcohol had played yet another dirty card on him and had made him spill some ugly truths to someone he had only known for a really short time. Someone who was selfless and kind-hearted. Someone who would probably walk away, eventually.

However, as he felt a hand on his shoulder and he was forced to look into his eyes, it wasn’t exactly disappointment what he saw.

“Viktor, I don’t think you are selfish” He said, no cracks in his voice, sounding more certain than he had ever heard him “I think you are just really sad”

Yuuri didn't know what to expect for a reaction. To be honest, he couldn't even believe he had gathered the guts say that out loud.

He expected some well-deserved anger, Viktor walking away into the night and disappearing forever. He expected sadness, once he acknowledged the weight of a possible truth. He expected indifference, Viktor gulping the statement down like a sip of water, ignoring it completely.

But what Yuuri hadn't been ready to face, what he hadn’t expected at all, was Viktor smiling at him.

"Yeah... " He breathed out, eyes so liquid and so poured into his own he couldn't see anything but that electric shade of light blue "I think you are right”

Viktor didn’t notice when they started walking again, nor when the roar of distant engines was replaced with the sound of their bubbly voices, nor when Yuuri’s hand had come to rest in his. Hell, he almost didn’t even notice when they reached his house.

But what he did notice though, was that there was there was something funny about that night. That his chest felt weightless and his laughter felt real.  And that he was more drunk in Yuuri than he had ever been in beer.

“Well, here’s where I live” He said, stopping by a large edifice, and Yuuri would have walked past it if it wasn’t for the hand tacking him in place “Thanks for walking with me”

“It’s nothing, it was nice” He said, voice rough by exhaustion, and whispery by choice “Thanks for inviting me, I had a really good time”

“Even with Yurio’s death threats?”

“Even with Yurio’s death threats” He chuckled.

They suddenly found themselves inside a dejá vu. A lovely night, the entrance of a building and the need to say goodbye. Viktor took his other hand, holding them both in his, and for a second he seemed to fall into the same dilemma of the last week, torn between the shame and the hunger, as he breathed against his lips.

But just when he was about to derail onto his cheek again, Yuuri grabbed his face between his hands and took it upon himself, pressing their mouths together in a slow, deep kiss.

Viktor kissed nothing like Yuuri thought he would. Maybe it was the shock, or maybe innate shyness, but his lips molded to Yuuri's will, frozen, but at the same time so soft and so warm, so smothering and kind he thought he would melt into his mouth like candy. He let his hands fall from his cheeks all the way down to his neck, his shoulders, his upper back, trying to get him to respond. But Viktor was a puddle of a man under him, malleable, almost liquid, taking the shape of his arms.

At some point he timidly trailed his hands through his chest, fingers tangling in his shirt, but that's all he ventured to do before Yuuri broke the kiss.

He stared at him, winded, eyes so wide and so blue, unblinking; the fogs of their panting breaths merging and floating together onto the night's black sky.

"Goodnight" Yuuri cooed, voice low and purposely warm, leaving Viktor to deal with his tachycardia alone.

And, just before he left, he planted a chaste, teasing peck right onto the corner of his trembling lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ  
> Hey guys! I feel kinda insecure about this chapter, would you mind leaving some comments? Being it good or bad critiques, I just want to improve!
> 
>  
> 
> So....one more chapter? xD


	4. Chapter 4

Once they discovered kissing was an option, there was no turn back.

 

They just wouldn’t stop doing it. The following few dates after that night at the beerhouse were barely about talking, their mouths were too busy. Viktor would pick Yuuri up with his car (the Toyota, unfortunately. Chris wouldn’t let him use his baby anymore) and they would drive all the way to the park or the riverside, wherever they found themselves more distanced from the shining billboards and the traffic jams, and they would kiss like there was no tomorrow.

 

It took them about two weeks to get down from the hype. After that, they had pretty normal dates, in which they tried to make their lives at the city as gratifying as possible. They went to museums, aquariums, malls and plays. They tried to squeeze every possible joy out of that place, explore it, make it their home. Every time they would try a new restaurant (of the ones they could afford, of course), and they would go with Chris to all the beerhouses and bars he got invited. They went from here to there, always changing. Yuuri got to know more about the city in two months than he did in a whole year.

 

But still, no matter how much they searched, their favorite date would be by the outskirts at the lake. And they would always end up there.

 

The river that split the city in two, disembogued in the calm waters of a small lake. It was just two hours away from the urban center, and surrounded by a nice field and lots of green, where the horns and the engines were just a murmur in the distance and the fumes an occasional tingle in the nose.

 

Whenever they had the chance, they would grab the car, Makkachin, some books and some food and they would spend the whole day there, talking or reading in silence, sometimes cuddling under the midday’s sunbeam after lunch. Viktor liked it when Yuuri recited him some of his poetry. The shore’s wind, the smell of grass, the lulling sound of the other’s voice and the water’s waving. He had been there before, but going alone wasn’t as nice. Yuuri enjoyed it a lot too. He said it reminded him to his hometown, that it was the closest thing he could get to Hasetsu, and Viktor was always willing to take him and see him in his element.

 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t go that often. It was really far away, and both of them had responsibilities. Maybe once or twice a month they managed to escape the city for a while, but luck and the weather had to be on their side.

 

Yuuri had thought he was bad at dealing with changes. But just how long had it taken him to get used to Viktor? They had been dating for…four? five months already? And he already felt more familiar with him that with his own apartment. Literally, he still struggled to guess which switch turned on which light at his living room, but ask him about Viktor and he committed no mistakes. He knew about his family, his friends, his favorite foods and places. He knew he was a bad cook, that his driving was to fear for and that he spoke with his mouth full. He knew never showed his anger, his sneezes sounded soft and almost cute, and he always gave Makkachin the leftovers of his food after he ate. He knew what kind of jokes worked for his different kind of bad moods, and that it only took a hug sometimes to make him break a smile.

 

He knew Viktor was happier when he was by his side. At least, that’s what Yurio kept saying.

 

And that made Yuuri happy, too.

 

One day, he was struggling at the office with a document that seemed eternal and he couldn’t bring himself to finish correcting. He needed to get it done quickly, Viktor had texted him saying he had already picked Yurio up from his house, and that he would be there at any moment. He didn’t want to keep him waiting, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave his work unfinished. So he read as fast as he could, pretty sure he was skipping words in the process, and that some loose syllables were dripping from his lips out loud. 

 

He sighed, pushing his hair back, knowing it probably looked like a mess. It was Friday and the week had been merciless, full of exams and deadlines and projects. He was just a paragraph away from its awaited end.

 

However, before he could celebrate the merit of reaching the last full stop, he saw the shade of a body leaning over his desk.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

It had been so long since he last heard that voice he almost didn’t recognize it.

 

He looked up for a second, meeting Chihoko’s stare for the first time in months, sensing it somewhat foreign now that his feelings were so remote and far-off.

 

“Oh, hello” He almost didn’t have to fake the indifference, as he faced the computer again to close the programs and turn it off.

 

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

 

Yuuri didn’t move his head, he just staring at him with the corner of his eye. Distrustful, still resentful.

 

“What is it? I’m kind of in a hurry”

 

“Don’t, worry, it won’t take long” But even though he said that, he grabbed a chair from the next stall and pushed it to sit down in front of the desk, seemingly planning to stay for a while “Look Yuuri, I’m sorry”

 

Yuuri froze, his hands fixed around the backpack’s handle, fully ready for a swift escape.

 

“What?”

 

“I’m sorry, ok? I know I should have said this sooner, but I was still angry and well…I shouldn’t have put so much pressure to you that day at the elevator, you looked really nervous. And also the date…hell, I’ve been horrible to you. Could you forgive me?”

 

The busy noise of the closing office, with everyone gathering their stuff and clogging the access to the elevators, was abruptly mute. Yuuri gulped, fretful, still alert and jumpier than boiling water, staring at him in silence.

 

His face might have given away his fretfulness, because Chihoko looked kind of embarrassed all of a sudden, clearing his throat before he continued speaking.

 

“I have no second thoughts! I promise! I know you are dating someone else and that you have quite an…interesting relationship. I just want to be in good terms with you”

 

Yuuri observed him, scanning, searching for any signs of malice in his good intentions. But there seemed to be nothing but sorry in those awkward eyes.

 

“I…I don’t know what to say” He finally managed to stutter.

 

“The night of the date I simply…forgot. I don’t know, I hadn’t really noticed you until that day you approached me, so I guess it slipped out of my mind. I just fell asleep and when I woke up I had some missed phone calls and then I remembered. I never meant to stood you up, and I never meant to make you uncomfortable”

 

“It’s ok, I understand” Yuuri said, suddenly remembering Viktor was probably waiting for him downstairs already “I really appreciate your apologies”

 

He stood up, hanging his backpack on his shoulder and facing the door. But, before he could leave, Chihoko stopped him again.

 

“I would…like to buy you a drink, maybe. Just, as an apology!” He asked him, taking a hand to his shoulder but retracting it immediately, wanting to be more careful this time.

 

Yuuri was glad he actually had other things to do and he wouldn’t need to invent an excuse. He was really thankful for the offer, yet he didn’t know if he wanted to go. It was nothing personal, but at the same time it was. Kind of.

 

“Sorry, I have other plans now” He said, getting into the elevator, with Chihoko right after him “Maybe in another chance”

 

“Oh, your boyfriend came to pick you up?”

 

 Yuuri’s blood dropped to his toes at the use of words.

 

“I…he’s not…I am not his…yet…”

 

“Oh, sorry” There was an awkward apology, stretching the elevator ride for about thirty seconds “I meant, the Ferrari guy”

 

He had to make a both physical and psychological effort not to laugh at the irony of that nickname.

 

For a second he debated if he should maybe tell him the truth.

 

“Yeah” He didn’t “We are taking his little brother ice-skating”

 

“Sounds nice”

 

As they exited the building, he saw Viktor parked near the entrance and he jogged towards the car, not wanting to keep him waiting any longer. Before he got in though, he turned to give Chihoko a kind smile, and he didn’t miss the way the man seemed to stare at the grey Toyota suspiciously.

 

“Yuuri!” Viktor rolled down the window, popping his head out to give him a quick peck on the lips, before he turned to look at Yurio at the passenger’s seat “Yurio, go to the backseats”

 

“What?? Why??”

 

“Yuuri’s here! Come on, let him seat by my side”

 

“No way! I like the passenger’s seat, I can control de music from here!” The kid barked, aggressively as always “Let the piggy go to the backseats!”

                                     

“Yurio…”

 

“It’s ok” Yuuri giggled, opening the back door “I don’t mind”

 

“I do!” Viktor pouted, starting the car anyways, knowing there was no point in arguing “It’s Yuuri’s turn on the way back, though!”

 

He received no answer but an annoyed roll of eyes.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yuuri was very good at ice-skating. Back in Hasetsu, during the winters the lake would freeze, and he and his childhood friend Yuuko would break out their skates and practice for whole afternoons.

 

He expected that someone like Viktor, who had a proper ice rink in town, would have his fair dose of experience on the matter, too.

 

He was wrong.

 

"Viktor, for fucks sake, you are ruining this for me" Yurio growled, hiding his face from the corner of the rink, watching his brother bump onto every other individual "I hate you"

 

During the first few minutes Yuuri had given a little introduction to the other two, teaching them the basics, of which the little one seemed to get the hang quite quickly. Viktor, on the other hand…

 

"Don't worry I got this!" He said, knees shaking like a baby deer's first steps "Watch and learn!"

 

Yuuri sighed, narrowing his eyes in shame and the prediction of near future pain.

 

"Viktor, if you keep on like that, all we'll learn is how to get a contusion"

 

Yurio snorted, turning for a high five.

 

"Nice one"

 

"You two are mean! You'll see! I'll prove you all that I'll- oh, I'm sorry lady!"

 

Both of them laughed, leaning back on the railing, observing the spectacle from a fair distance. If they were far away enough from him for people not to notice they had come together, then it was funny.

 

Yurio seemed kind of agitated, Yuuri could tell, so it was good he was taking a pause. He wasn't supposed to get too exhausted, he could faint or something, and skating is exhausting when you are just a beginner and need to use the double amount of energy to keep yourself in balance.

 

He offered him his water bottle, which he took with a light, polite smile and a concealed frown of annoyance. He knew the kid didn't like it when he felt everyone was over-protecting him, it made him uncomfortable. But Yuuri felt it was his responsibility to take care of him, not only as an adult, but also as a friend.

 

"Ugh, look at him" he hissed, green eyes pointing at the so called other adult clinging from a random couple "Yuuri, please, control your boyfriend"

 

Yuuri was closer to fall in that moment than he had been through the entire date.

 

_Twice in the same day??_

“You see, we are still not…”

 

Yurio arched a brow at his sudden abashment.

 

"What?? You are not an official couple yet??" He said, watching Yuuri nod a very much reddened face "For real?? I thought you were official like, months ago! I knew you were stupid, but…! Why don't you ask him??"

 

"Uhm...well, maybe he won't..."

 

"Don't start with that bullshit, he's head over heels for you!" He blew through his nose, shaking his head in disbelief “Hell, if I have to hear him talking about you one more time I think I’m going to have a seizure!”

 

Coming from anyone else it would have sounded funny. From Yurio, not so much.

 

“Don’t joke with that stuff” He breathed, distracting himself with the sight of other skaters.

 

“Sorry, but I’m serious. Take some fucking initiative!”

 

As Yurio clumsily skated away from him, Yuuri was left alone to deal with his own thoughts. His eyes were immediately on Viktor, who had given up on the skating and was now bubbly chatting with a group of ladies at the side of the rink.

 

Normally, if someone sees their date chatting so casually with a group of attractive people, jealousy would be a normal outcome. But Yuuri knew Viktor, and judging by the way he kept patting the skin of his face in circular motions, he was probably talking about his daily skin care routine.

 

He sighed, smiling fondly at the faces he made as he talked, the glint of his eyes. His laugh. That although he couldn’t listen to it from the distant, he had already memorized. How did he manage to have his hair looking so bright and soft all the time? And his nose was so sharp it could kill. As well as his jawline…he had a really nice long neck… and broad shoulders, which that tight shirt did a wonderful job showing.

 

Yuuri suddenly found himself staring at the shape of his waistline, his hips, the muscles of his back, the glorious join between his spine and the curve of his round, perfect…

 

He realized that, maybe, he should take the initiative in more than one aspect.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yuuri wished he could say he didn’t care about labels.

 

It would be a lie. To be honest, Yuuri was very competitive. Extremely. It wasn’t unusual for him to hear he shouldn’t worry so much about titles, and enjoy the experience itself. People thought it was a matter of ambition, maybe possessiveness.

 

When, in reality, it was just another phase of his insecurity.

 

He _needed_ titles, he needed a proof, a name, a label for his merits. He needed the evidence of his success, something concise and stable he could lay his pride on, that would let him acknowledge his achievements. It was hard for him to remember his feats, he craved a constant reminder. Being it a trophy to look at, or a heading to roll through his tongue.

 

“You’ve been kind of quiet” said Viktor, his nothing, his untitled goal “Are you ok?”

 

After they left the rink they took Yurio to a family restaurant, where the three of them ate together and laughed about their falls on the ice. Once they dropped him by his house, it was Yuuri’s turn to get a ride, and he finally managed to get the passenger’s seat, just like Viktor had wanted. But he wasn’t as talkative, he had been thoughtful since the minute Yurio left the car. Which was unusual, considering his witty sense of humor, and the amount of embarrassing Viktor moments at the rink he could be pointing out.

 

“It’s nothing, I just…” He trailed off, looking anywhere but the driver’s seat “I was just wondering something”

 

Yuuri was very aware of his own limitations. He knew his worries were usually prone to fall into the snowball effect, and that his chains of thought were long enough to shackle him into stillness. It was always the same. His paranoia suggested so many alternatives, so many outcomes, and so many facts to take into consideration, that his brains entered some kind of short-circuit and left him out of combat.

 

But there was a solution…

 

“I can tell…” Viktor’s eyes were torn between the road and his companion, not wanting to cause an accident with neither of them “What’s bugging you, hun?”

 

He needed to spit it out before he had the chance to think it.

 

“Viktor, would you like being my boyfriend?”

 

Viktor almost drove past a red-light and he stepped  his feet abruptly onto the brake, making the car jerk by the mere force and Yuuri almost bump his head onto the windshield.

 

He turned to look at him, eyes wide and brows jumping all the way up onto his hairline in an expression of utter disbelief.

 

“What?”

 

“I’m sorry! Was I to abrupt? I…I know we never talked about this before, and I don’t know if you…well, if you’d like to…” Yuuri stuttered, digging his nails onto the seat “It’s ok if you don’t want to! Not everyone wants commitment and it’s totally fine!  I mean, nothing has to change between us just because…because I…”

 

“Because you are in love with me?”

 

Yuuri gulped, trying to swallow down the choking pulse of his swollen throat.

 

“I…I never said I…” He somehow managed to get his head to nod and shake at the same time “It doesn’t mean that…”

 

“Do you love me, Yuuri?”

 

Viktor’s expression was serious, empty, so infuriatingly relaxed; while Yuuri was so overwhelmed and red and struggled, trying to figure out what he was supposed to feel.

 

He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to reply that question. He couldn’t. Whatever he could say seemed like the wrong answer. His pride wouldn’t let him acknowledge it. Admit that, maybe, they were uneven. Maybe, he felt stronger for Viktor than Viktor did for him. Maybe he was in disadvantage.

 

Yet, as he stared into those eyes, as he felt his own heart buzzing at the pit of his stomach, his blood running thicker than honey through his veins…he couldn’t deny the obvious.

 

“Yes” He said, the words clinking in his mouth like the lid of a boiling casserole “I think I do”

 

A smile cracked through Viktor’s solemn face, and Yuuri closed his eyes before the image got blurry with tears of impotence, and the overstimulation of his denying heart. Next thing he knows, he’s being pulled into a hug, long arms wrapped around his waist and warm lips pressed onto the crook of his neck, as his body was rocked back and forth in a gentle rhythm of comfort. He didn’t know what it meant. He didn’t know if it was love, sadness, a goodbye. Pity. He didn’t know just how many more bones was that man going to throw at that desperate, hungry dog. So needy and so lonely. So scared of the day those treats would stop coming.

 

He had no idea of what that embrace meant. But he hugged him back.

 

He hugged him as if it were the last time, the last favor, the last alms he would ever get.

 

“Yuuri, I’ve been calling you my boyfriend for months already” He felt a warm voice against his hair, and he sunk himself deeper into the hug “I already knew you love me, I just wanted to hear you say it. I love you too, stupid”

 

Yuuri gave up on his solidity and lost his shape. He let his body fall soft and ductile onto the other’s hold, boneless, merely skin wrapped around a soul. It had been so long since his head had been that quiet, so empty of parroting worries, that he had forgotten how it felt like. His ears still throbbed and tingled, overly-sensitive, hyperaware of silence and its constant hum. He hadn’t noticed just how much weight he had been lifting until it went away, and he felt so light and flimsy he thought he could start floating if Viktor let go.

 

“You scared the shit out of me” He mumbled against his shoulder, almost undistinguishable “For a moment I thought you would say no”

 

“Sorry” Viktor chuckled, cupping his face and locking their eyes “You are so dramatic though”

 

“Fuck you”

 

Yuuri leaned in, pressing a kiss onto his mouth, which Viktor followed gladly.

 

That was it. That was all he needed.

 

He stroked his jaw with his thumbs, sighing pleasantly as he felt the grab of fingers on his waist and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Viktor hugged him close, his mouth warm and fierce and wanton as it merged with his own, and Yuuri had never felt as close to his boiling point as he did right then. It was too much. The heat, the adoration, his heart beating so hard it bounced onto his ribcage. Never had he felt so loved, so wanted. Never had he felt so proud of being something. Because he was Viktor’s. And right then, that was all he ever wanted to be.

 

They had to stop when the horn of an angry driver interrupted them, reminding them they were still in the middle of the road. And even though it was late there were still some cars running around.

 

“COME ON, LOVE BIRDS! YOU’LL NEVER REACH THE LOVE HOTEL IF YOU DON’T START THE FUCKING CAR!”

 

They pulled away immediately, laughing so much they almost lost the green light again. The ride was silent after that, with both of them still smiling, their lips tingling with giggles as they drove through the calmer streets of the residential area. Their eyes kept meeting everywhere, on the rare-view mirror, on the windshield’s reflection, and in short, playful side-glances.

 

At some point, Viktor’s hand fell to rest on Yuuri’s thigh. And this time he didn’t tell him off for not having both hands on the wheel. Instead, he took his own fingers to caress his palm and his knuckles, letting it stroke his leg affectionately, closing his eyes and enjoying the trip.

 

Once they got to his house, Viktor parked and walked with him to the entrance almost as part of a ritual. It was already a habit for them, they both seemed to be fans of long goodbyes, so it was almost a tradition by then. They kissed again, slower, dragging the moment for as long as possible, not wanting to depart just yet. Whenever one tried to pull away, the other would grab them and sink them back in, unable to break the spell.

 

Only after a while, when the night’s chill was becoming too much for Viktor’s thin chemise, he gave up to the cold and sealed the encounter with one last, loud peck on the lips.

 

“It’s getting late” He said, cupping his cheek “Sleep well, babe”

 

Yuuri almost melted at the nickname, nuzzling his face against the caress of his hand, turning to kiss the palm.

 

Yet, when Viktor smiled tenderly at the gesture and turned around to leave, Yuuri wouldn’t lose his grip.

 

“Yuuri?” He stared at him, looking at the resolved grab on his wrist, and the fervent determination waving on his reddened face.

 

“Phichit’s not here tonight, if you want maybe you could…we could…you know…”

 

He spoke, his voice low and heavy with implications, the grasps on both his arm and his stare persistent.

 

It took Viktor some five solid seconds to understand.

 

Oh.

 

_Oh…_

In no time his cheeks were an awkward shade of pink, and he let his head nod automatically as Yuuri tangled his fingers with his, and guided him inside the apartment.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next morning, Yuuri woke up to the weight of another body on his.

 

He was welcomed to vigil by a faint smell of sweat, the trace of fingers through his hair, and the weak sound of a giggle he couldn’t quite tell if it was real, or just another fragment of a dream. It was hard for him to shift and grab his glasses, but he didn’t need them to recognize the happenings.

 

Viktor stared at him from above lying on top of his chest, propped on his elbows and with a smile as impish as the Cheshire cat’s.

 

It took him a lot of blinking and a few awake seconds to connect all the dots. To associate the warmth and the weight with his figure on top of him, the soft caresses on his scalp with the delicate touch of his hand, his arousal with the nudity of their pressing bodies, and the overall feeling of delight with the previous night’s events.

 

“It was about time!” Viktor teased, voice coarse and sandy with sleep, resting his chin onto his crossed arms “I thought I was in presence of the one and only sleeping beauty!”

 

He bit his lip, looking to his left to check the time, only to realize the nightstand was on the other side of the bed.

 

Oh.

 

That was not his bed.

 

"Why does the sleeping beauty own Spiderman covers?" Viktor played with the fabric between his fingers.

 

"They are not mine, they are Phicit's" He said, looking around guilty, unable to believe what he just did.

 

"We are on his bed?"

 

He nodded.

 

It hadn't been his idea, they had come into the room making out and Viktor had pushed him onto the nearest, bigger bed.

 

It wasn't his fault. It was Phichit's, for not lot letting him chose the queen size bed when they moved in

 

"We'll have to hide the evidence though, he'll be very mad if he sees we dirtied his Marvel sheets"

 

Viktor chuckled, shifting a bit to take a better look at the masked Peter Parker.

 

"It's creepy though, I hadn't even noticed last night"

 

"Of course you didn't notice..." Yuuri murmured, leaning forwards to rest his forehead onto his "...we were busy, after all"

 

Viktor took his arms away from between their bodies, and used them to bring them closer instead. He grabbed Yuuri's face, pressing their chests and mouths together, tangling with each other in a braid of limbs. The apartment was empty, silence echoed within the walls and the only noise they could hear was the one of their kissing, the sloppy clash of lips and ragged breaths, groggy moans clinging from the back of tired throats.

 

"You are the most beautiful thing I ever woke up to" Viktor whispered, stroking his cheeks.

 

"More than Makkachin?" They laughed, yet Yuuri heard him hum indecisive "I bet I at least smell better"

 

"Well, if you don’t consider the morning breath..."

 

Yuuri’s mouth fell agape.

 

"You are so cruel!!" he turned around, giving him his back and hugging the pillow instead "You meanie!!"

 

"Aww come on! It was a joke!" Viktor giggled, shaking his shoulder "I didn't mean it! Babe!” He pouted “Let me give you an apology kiss”  

 

"Go kiss Makkachin"

 

"Yuuri!!" He wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him from behind, peppering his neck and jaw with kisses until the victim couldn't contain his laughter.

 

"Stop! It tickles, you idiot!" He pushed his face away, almost hitting him in the nose "You are going to..."

 

Out of the blue, he heard the familiar sound of the elevator stopping on that same floor.

 

He froze, any traces of laughter disappearing from his ticking chest as he abruptly untangled himself from the embrace and stood up with a face of sheer horror.

 

"What is...?"

 

"Phichit is here! Hurry up and dress! I'll distract him at the door!” he shouted, throwing a pair of jeans at his face "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY BOXERS”

 

The metallic noise of keys jingled in his ears the moment he finally got into his underwear, and he bursted out of the room to find Phichit walking through the main door. Of course he received quite a judging stare, being half-naked and messy and smelling like reactive hormones, but he decided to ignore it. Instead, he grinned unconvincingly and leaned over the door’s frame with his arm, blocking the entrance.

 

“Phichit!” He welcomed him, really bad at sounding casual “How are you doing? How was the party? Did you say hello to Leo for me?”

 

“Viktor is in there isn’t he”

 

Busted.

 

“Uhm, no?” He coughed a way too fake laugh “What makes you think that?”

 

Phichit pushed his arm out of the way and walked into the house, heading towards the bedroom as if he were about to catch his wife cheating, and Yuuri run right after him, trying to stop him.

 

However, when he was about the grab the handle, the door opened from the inside and out came a very much guilty Viktor, with one shoe still in hand, his shirt badly buttoned and his hair a mess, his lips as thin as the ice he was walking on as he stared at him with mortified eyes.

 

“Uhm, excuse me” He cleared his throat, closing the door right behind him, hiding the crime scene inside from Phichit’s demanding gaze. Then he turned to Yuuri, planting a quick peck on his lips before he escaped the apartment “Goodbye hun, see you later”

 

As soon as the door was closed, the apartment was so silent Yuuri could hear himself gulp.

 

Phichit’s jaw dropped, no need to make conclusions, since the facts were already as clear as day. With his mouth still so wide he could have caught flies, he stormed into the room and Yuuri closed his eyes and flinched, expecting the horror.

 

“MY SPIDERMAN SHEET SET” He heard him yell, voice strained and melodramatic “YOU MONSTER”

 

“Uhm Phichit, I can explain. We…”

 

“YOU FUCKED ON TOP OF MY PRECIOUS SPIDERMAN SHEETS” He got out of the room again, fingers curled with anger as he pointed at his bed with dismay “You dirtied my Marvel sheets with your sinful liquids!”

 

“Uhm, we used condoms, so we technically didn’t…”

 

 

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT! YOU HAD SEX IN MY BED, YOU BITCH” He said, breath hitching “What do you have to say in your defense??”

 

Yuuri blinked, his body shivering and his toes stepping onto each other. He realized that he was still there standing in the middle of the hallway in his underwear, that the neighbors were beginning to bang on the walls for them to shut up, that he should probably start the washing machine to clean the mess on Phichit’s sheets, and that he could see Viktor’s boxers lying forgotten on the floor of his room.

 

He looked at his friend, face solemn, so chill and so contrasting with the other’s fuming anger, and he said:

 

“I’m really happy”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END???????
> 
> I actually got an idea for an epilogue XD don't laugh, please, but I keep getting ideas once I finish the chapters and I have no self control. But it's really cheesy and stupid hahahaha let me know if you would like me to write it! Or do you like this as the very end? I'm indecisive aaaaaa help!!!!
> 
> Btw, shameless self promotion time! 
> 
> I kind of have many other fics, one of which I'm really proud of, and I actually think it's better than this shit XD The name is One of those nights, if you are interested then you maybe can go check it out? idk, I'm already grateful enough with all the lovely things you said. 
> 
> Please comment! It always helps and it makes me really happy!!!


	5. Epilogue

Just about three years into his stay at the city, with graduation being just around the corner, Viktor decided to give Yuuri a little prize for his efforts. He promised him that as soon as both of them were done with their responsibilities, he would take him a whole month to Hasetsu to see his family. They had been discussing the option of going together for a while, since Yuuri’s trips to his hometown had always been scarce, express and alone, and Viktor had never got the chance to meet his in-laws yet.

 

Yuuri had been going through lots of stress. In hopes of finishing quickly with his studies for once and for all, he had signed up for way too many classes. And by the time he had to take all the finals, his schedule collapsed. Viktor convinced him of dropping one of the subjects, which made him really upset, since he couldn’t graduate as fast as he had wanted. But his health came first, as Phichit had always told him. And the pressure had made him so sick he had had to give up.

 

So, wanting to cheer him up a bit, Viktor planned the trip for that same summer. They both asked for their well-deserved holidays at work and packed their suitcases, bought matching sunglasses, and on a warm Monday morning they got Makkachin onto the car and started their road trip.

 

It took them an entire day to get there, Viktor got tired of driving and Yuuri got tired of listening to his complaints, so by the time they arrived at the Katsuki residence they were both exhausted. Thankfully, they were received warmly. Yuuri’s family saw his every visit as a festivity, and they were waiting for him with a clean house and steamy homemade food. Plus, Viktor was there too! That mysterious man they had only heard about from Yuuri’s tales and social media, and that had made him sound so much happy and bubbly during phone calls.

 

It didn’t take longer than a dinner for the entire Katsuki family to fall in love with him. Viktor joked, saying it was in their genes to like him. But honestly, who wouldn’t? He was an easygoing, cheerful person, as well as very open and friendly and easy to talk to. By the time they served dessert, everyone at the table was smitten, listening to his anecdotes and asking him questions. Some friends of the family came to visit and say hello, and they weren’t late to fall into the spell as well.

 

Viktor looked really happy, too. Yuuri could tell, by the way he smiled and raised his voice without noticing, telling them the story of that time Makkachin locked him out of his apartment while they were talking out the trash. He seemed comfortable, fitting in the family table so easily, as if he had always been part of the portrait.

 

During the nights, they slept at Yuuri’s old room. Hiroko had prepared a futon for Viktor to sleep comfortably next to him, but it was just a gesture of politeness. They both knew it was going to stay unused. Even though it was small, the couple shared the main bed, hugging each other as close as they could. Which was kind of inconvenient, considering it was summer and cuddling made the heat unbearable. They had a ceiling fan though, so they survived.

 

Every day they would make long walks through the beach, they would visit some of Yuuri’s old friends, and take a look at the showcases of the town’s little shops. Makkachin seemed to enjoy the sea a lot, and the shore’s wide surface for running and playing catch. They returned home exhausted in the evenings, and after a fresh shower (they not always take turns, if you know what I mean), they would help Hiroko in the kitchen, preparing some nice dinner.

 

The morning they were supposed to leave there was a torrential rainfall and the road got muddy, so they had to stay for another day.

 

That afternoon, after having spent so much time in the place he knew his heart truly belonged to, Yuuri cried onto Viktor’s shoulder. Advances of nostalgia had him tangled into a human skein, and as they cuddled in bed and looked at the grey sky through the window, he wished out loud for the rain to never stop falling; for the water to flood the road and block the way, so that they could stay forever. Much to his surprise, Viktor wished it to.

 

Without really acknowledging it they had already made a decision.

 

As soon as they were back to the city, Yuuri set his full forces into passing that last class. Viktor talked with his accountant, and he made some little inversions in small companies to start saving more money. Chris gave them a huge hand too, in the form of financial advice and by getting Yuuri an extra job at a bar. It was exhausting for both of them, having eight hours of work a day each while attending their other responsibilities. They got little to no sleep. Yuuri’s shift at the bar lasted till 2AM sometimes and Viktor would always pick him up, even if they had to wake up early the next morning. Sometimes, Chihoko had to shake his sleepy co-worker awake after finding him him drooling on the keyboard, and he swore he had seen him drink more than three coffees a day.

 

Fortunately, the torture didn’t last much. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had any savings to begin with, they just wanted to play it safe. With Yurio being sick and all the expenses of moving out, it was better to have a good reservoir just in case. So it didn’t take them long to build their financial net, and as soon as Yuuri successfully took his exam and had his title in hand, Viktor put his apartment in rent and they moved to Hasetsu.

 

It was hard at first. They couldn’t be very exigent with what they bought, and settling in was really demanding. The apartment they got was way too small, and it wasn’t as close to the beach as they would have wanted. But it was luminous and warm, and it was their first home together.

 

Of course, Yuuri used to stay at Viktor’s for days back at the city, there were sometimes he didn’t step into his own apartment for weeks, and Phichit felt like didn’t have a roommate anymore.

 

But be that as it may, the situation was different.

 

Cheesy at it may sound, that new apartment their love nest; which they had paid by working together and making exhausting efforts but there they were. It was theirs. Theirs and only theirs. One of them had shed a tear the first night they spent there, no one knows which of the two. They both say it was the other when they tell the story, and nobody really knows the truth.

 

Makkachin was a little upset at first, since he was used to much larger rooms. But the beach and the walks to the shore seemed to make up for it. Plus, his owners took him with them wherever they went, and he spent very little time inside the apartment. Every morning he would be walked into an empty building that smelt like plaster and fresh paint. He would be told not to move too much, to stay still and touch nothing, since the first time he dropped a can of white paint and ruined the wooden floor. Viktor and Yuuri seemed very busy when they were in that place, unpacking boxes and moving furniture. Most of the times, other people would have to help them. Like those guys who brought a huge glass for the front window, or the lady who almost gave Yuuri an aneurysm trying to make him decide a color for the curtains.

 

Even though Makkachin didn’t quite understand what were those preparations about, five months later his owners were about to inaugurate a small poetry bar called _The City Boys_.  

 

Back in the city, they had seen a bunch of places like that, and they were always pretty concurred. For Hasetsu, however, it was a totally new business. The town was small and it did have some few cafes and taverns, but nothing compared to what Viktor and Yuuri were offering. The place was cozy and nicely set, right in front of a nice park, and it worked as both a coffee shop and a bar. During the days it served tea and muffins and cakes, and during the weekend’s nights there were some drinks added to the menu. The building counted with a small stage, which they enabled for musicians and poets to display their art for free.

 

Everyone in town was talking about that new place the youngest Katsuki and his boyfriend were about to open. Being such a small vicinity, every passerby was a familiar face, and rumors spread faster than wildfire. They got phone calls for reservations at the inauguration with weeks of anticipation. They had planned a little event as part of the grand opening, with free drinks and live music, as well as Yuuri himself reading poetry. Most of the attendants were going to be friends and family (including Yurio, who was coming along together with Viktor’s mother), but they were happy anyways.

 

The day before they opened, they were busy with the preparations until the last minutes of the evening. Perfectionism had never hit them so strongly, and by the time the sun was setting they were still wondering around the closed bar, putting things in place and cleaning up, making sure everything was in order for the next day.

 

Yuuri finished checking the food stocks in the kitchen, crossing everything he saw out from his detailed list, while Viktor finished with some last phone calls at the front. It had been a stressful day, carrying boxes full of crockery and a chest full of worries was no easy task. And by the time he was done distributing the cutlery into their respective drawers, the orange glint of twilight was already flooding the room, entering through the window and tainting every plate and table cloth.

 

He cleaned the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, exiting the kitchen and watching Viktor give some last indications through the phone before he hung up. He saw him sigh, his shoulders tense and hunched as he exhaled, his silver fringe falling onto his eyes as he leaned onto the counter.

 

He walked right behind him, taking his hands to rub his shoulder blades and trying to ease the tension. The response was immediate, the muscles softening under his fingers and a pleasured moan leaving his parted lips, and Yuuri cracked a small comprehensive smile.

 

“We are done, love” He said, kissing the first vertebra at the back of his neck, the highest spot he could reach “We can go home now and rest, tomorrow is the big day”

 

“Yeah…” Viktor didn’t sound very convinced yet, as if he couldn’t see it with so much work clouding the event “But the floor is still covered in dirt from moving stuff around all day, I should mop a little bit”

 

Yuuri pouted, sinking his thumbs deeper onto the flesh of his shoulders, relieving his own tension in the action. Waiting for other fifteen minutes sounded like a nightmare. His own back was sore too and his hands were full of splinters from carrying those wooden boxes all day. Plus, Makkachin seemed to be getting impatient too, judging for the way he wandered around him and whined, trying to make him aware of his presence.

                                                                                                                            

“Fine, I’ll bring the bucket” He turned to leave, taking a deep, tired breath. But Viktor stopped him.

 

“No, babe. It’s ok, I’ll do it” He grabbed his arm and faced him “You can go home and rest, I’ll be there in a little while”

 

The offer took Yuuri by surprise, the sudden outburst of kindness sweeping him off his feet. The sweetness of his suggestion, together with the affectionate caresses on his bicep and the tender look of those tired eyes, made it so much easier to shake his head.

 

“No, it’s ok” He said, cupping his cheek “I’ll wait here for you”

 

It seemed Makkachin disagreed with the idea, as he began to scratch the main door with his paw.

 

“Nah, go home. Makka is bored already, and we hadn’t fed him yet” He kissed the tip of his nose “Plus, I want to get home and find dinner on the table”

 

Yuuri snorted, pushing him away.

 

“And for a second I thought you were being generous” He rolled his eyes, taking his coat and the dog’s leash from the rack.

 

“I told you I was selfish, remember?” Viktor chuckled, fishing for the keys.

 

Yet the keychain seemed to have tangled with something else inside his pocket, so it took him a while to properly pluck them out and give them to him.

 

“I should have paid attention to the warnings” Yuuri scoffed, giving a step forwards to peck his lips goodbye. But Viktor wasn’t in the mood for short departures, and he trapped him between his arms before he got the chance to escape, deepening the kiss.

 

“Hmm…what was that about?” his prey whispered against his mouth, lightheaded, looking up at him through lidded eyes.

 

“Can you make pork cutlet bowl for dinner?”

 

Yuuri laughed, untangling himself from his hold, biting his lip in resignation and opening the door.

 

“You are terrible” He yelled, patting his own thighs for Makkachin to follow him outside “Come on, boy. Let’s leave this meanie mopping alone!”

 

Viktor sat on the counter, smiling at the sight of Yuuri putting the leash to his dog and stroking him behind his furry ears.

 

Every now and then it would happen to him that mundane stuff like that would bring not so mundane reactions. And right then, as they stood together by the door of their own shop, seeing Yuuri laughing playfully and petting his dog, knowing he would return home to his smile and a warm plate of food on the table; Viktor had no doubt he was in presence of the love of his life.

 

“Take care” He said, jokes aside for once, his voice sounding so much tender than intended “I love you”

 

“Oh? So _now_ you are being cheesy?” The other teased, so ridiculously oblivious, having no idea of just how much he really meant it “What do you want in return? Caviar?”

 

Viktor chuckled, a short relief for the smothering warmth inside him threatening to consume him whole, and for a second he considered the option of telling him right there and then.

 

“Goodbye, Yuuri”

 

He swallowed his words and watched him close the door in silence, his gloved hand waving at him from across the glass he as disappeared into the windy streets of the early night.

 

As soon as he was alone, with no more sunset nor Yuuri’s smile to light up the room, he took a hand to his pocket and grabbed a cold, little something between his fingers. He let out a breath he could have been holding the whole afternoon, staring at the item and biting the tip of his tongue that had almost betrayed him, that had almost spilled the words too soon.

 

Lifting the piece to look at it properly, he watched it reflect the dim beam entering through the window. The white moonlight filled in the engraving and made the words pop up, shining like liquid silver on top of the gold.

 

“ _Tomorrow_ ” He thought, closing his fist around the ring and pressing it to his chest, feeling the metal warm up against the skin of his palm “ _Tomorrow at the inauguration, I’ll tell you_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT MY FRIENDS!!!   
> omg this was supposed to be a one shot wtf. You people were so nice in the comments all the time I'm so grateful!!! Do you have a tumblr?? If you do please come talk to me at life-love-and-alcohol!! And if you have any fanfics requests I can take them!! (maybe if you want a one-shot about this AU I could try writing it too?) 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for being wonderful. Comment are always great and appreaciated!! And I can't believe you all read this till the end aaaaaa I'm shook

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue this? Is it worth it?
> 
>  
> 
> Heyy! I'm taking fanfic requests! So, if you have a tumblr, come visit me at my blog life-love-and-alcohol!


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